arts for lifeasheville

2010 report

Dear Friends,

The first thing you notice about Arts For Life art tables is that they are happy places! Children who come to Mission Children’s Hospital to be treated for very serious illnesses and disabilities find much more than painful procedures and confined treatment rooms. They find brightly colored paints and papers, canvases and oil pastels, yarn and almost anything else they could want to help them create all that they can imagine. As they engage their minds and hearts, their bodies relax, they become less afraid and more animated. They laugh, sing, and play. What started out as an unwelcome trip to a stressful place becomes an adventure they look forward to as they and their families cope with the realities of serious illness.

This is Arts For Life. In 2010, more than 2,100 patients, siblings, and family members at Mission Children’s Hospital made new friends, spent happy time with their families, created art beyond their wildest imaginings, and let their spirits soar. In the process, they discovered a resilience that they may not have known they possessed, and from the struggles they faced everyday, they created masterpieces of hope and joy!

This is Arts For Life. Thank you for being part of the family!

Shea GodwinExecutive Director

The Arts For Life Team in ashevilleStaff

Annie RogersProgram Director

Shea GodwinExecutive Director

Rachel ZinkAssistant Director

Snee HowardBookkeeper

Interns

Anna LongBecky SchuldtEmily O’BrienSimone BolkaTerra Midgett

Board of Directors

Becky AndersonJohn DicksonKaren Fitzgerald Matthew LeggattJudy MajorDoug MichaelsAl RootAnne Sessions

2010

Teaching Volunteers

Beth SemadeniDiane HallKaren PalyKris ParadisKristen BraceEd DraneLaura EliaMimi ShackelfordValerie Poullette Altman

Arts For LifeArts For Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people facing serious illnesses. By providing educational art programs, we enrich patients’ lives, nurture their minds and spirits, and encourage positive healthcare experiences for children and their families. Arts For Life helps children all day everyday in four cities across North Carolina.

Arts For Life began in 2001, with one patient, one hospital room, and one camera. Today, AFL’s staff members, volunteers, and interns teach the arts to patients for over 240 hours each week. We work with more than 4,700 patients statewide annually. Our visual art, creative writing, and music programs decrease patient stress and anxiety, keep patients active and engaged, and help families cope with the realities of illness.

Program Director annie

and patient shayla at the art table

Music Fellow

Anne CoombsMelissa Hyman

Advisory Council

Valerie Poullette AltmanDr. Cindy BrownGil CalderwoodPeggy DraneBrent FordKatie HildChris PollakMary Timmer

Our team of art educators, volunteers, and interns brought 9,164 top-notch educational art lessons to 2,143 patients, siblings, and family members last year.

AFL Taught Thousands of Art Lessons at Mission in 2010

2010 Calendar of Arts For Life Programming At Mission Children’s Hospital Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday 8:30 am - 5:30 pm Zeis Center Art Table & Procedure Suite Program Director

9 am - 5:30 pm Zeis Center Art Table & Procedure Suite Program Director

9 am - 2:30 pm Zeis Center Art Station & Procedure Suite Program Director

8:30 am - 5:30 pm Zeis Center Art Station & Procedure Suite Staff/Intern

9 am - 5:30 pm Zeis Center Art Station & Procedure Suite Program Director

2 pm - 6 pm Inpatient Unit: Music Fellow (Jan. – June)

1 pm – 4 pm Inpatient Unit: Music Fellow (Dec. - present)

8:30 am - 5:30 pm Huff Center Art Table: Volunteers

8:30 am - 5:30 pm Huff Center Art Table: Volunteers

8:30 am - 5:30 pm Huff Center Art Table: Volunteers

8:30 am - 5:30 pm Huff Center Art Table: Volunteers

10 am – 2 pm Inpatient Unit: Intern

10:00 am – 1:00 pm Inpatient Unit: Volunteer (Jan-June) Staff (Sept-Dec)

3 pm - 5:30 pm Inpatient Unit: Program Director

1 pm - 4:30 pm Reuter Center General Waiting Area: Volunteer

5 pm - 8 pm Inpatient Unit: Volunteer

2:00-5:00 Inpatient Unit: Staff (Jan-Aug)

10 am - 1 pm Inpatient Unit: Music Fellow (Dec. - present)

the arts for life program schedule at mission

Shayla, proudly displaying her artwork at the Zeis Center art table

Arts For Life at mission children’s hospital Patients and families visiting the Zeis Children’s Cancer Center, the Olson Huff Center, Mission Hospital’s Inpatient Units, and other areas at Mission Children’s Hospital count on AFL to help them through their healthcare experiences.

• Young patients arrive at the Zeis Children’s Cancer Center and make a beeline to Arts For Life’s Clinic Art Station. At the art table (available to all hematology and oncology patients, siblings, and family members), the children learn to create artistic masterpieces while they meet other kids and explore their talents. Being active at the art station enables patients to stay focused and positive during what could be long, frustrating hours of waiting for and receiving treatments. In addition to art in the waiting rooms, AFL team members also work with kids one-on-one in treatment rooms, helping to pass the hours and ease anxiety by learning dynamic and fun art skills. Arts For Life teachers tailor lessons in both settings specifically to each student by taking into account the students’ skills and interests, as well as the time they are in clinic.

• Arts For Life’s Huff Center Art Station is staffed almost entirely by incredible AFL volunteers, who generously donate four or more hours of their time each week. The art table is located in a large waiting room and sees twenty to forty eager young artists each day! Teachers in the Huff Center work with children with a myriad of conditions and developmental disorders including ADD and Autism, and kids who require physical, speech, or other therapies. Art projects in the Huff Center are designed to be completed by children of a variety of ages and abilities in varying time frames.

• In our Inpatient Program, AFL teachers travel from room to room teaching young patients guitar and music, painting and drawing, and sculpture and writing. In working with their AFL instructors, patients and their siblings experience success as they learn new artistic skills, express ideas and emotions, and build self-confidence. Because these encounters are much more individualized, AFL teachers can provide much more in-depth art lessons. AFL students in the hospital have knitted scarves, painted large-scale acrylic paintings, and learned play songs on the guitar. Teaching Volunteer and Board Member Valerie

with a young patient at the Huff Center

“Crab,” by Audrey, age 7spotlight: annaleahEvery Tuesday afternoon, Annaleah arrives at the Zeis Cancer Clinic for her regular appointment wearing a smile she can hardly contain as she speedwalks to the art table.

“Is there something I was working on?” she asks Program Director Annie Rogers.

And, more often than not, there is.

Annaleah likes a project. And when she puts her mind to it, she sees it through until it’s finished. That often means that her projects take two or three weeks to complete. Whether it’s a Fauve-inspired collage heart, a birthday card for her best (stuffed) friend Joe Duck, or a string of brightly-colored, Kandinsky-esque plastic cup discs, Annaleah shows great attention to detail in each of her creations.

Her incredible imagination emerges in her whimsical drawing style, her use of bright, bold colors, and in all of her artwork. But it is her sweet, open-minded, adventurous spirit that makes Annaleah such a complete joy to work with. The greatest gift an art teacher can receive is watching young artists eagerly develop their skills and explore their talent, and there is no greater art adventurer than Annaleah.

UntitledCheoage 7

friends Brittany & Shayla at the art table

Arts for life art show

masterpieces from the young artists in

AFL Asheville’s program

“Lion,” by Cainan, age 8

in 2010, Arts For Life asheville taught over 100 hours of art lessons each week

to patients, siblings, & family members

“Chickens,” by Amber, age 10

“Peace,” by Brittany, age 7

“Cats,” by twin sisters Ashlyn (left) and Skylyn (right), age 5

Collage by Andy, age 9

interns in ashevilleIn 2010, Arts For Life Asheville continued building its Internship Program, with five college students joining the AFL team. From teaching art and preparing projects to creating community awareness for Arts For Life Asheville, interns are an incredible asset to our programming. A huge thank you to Anna Long, Becky Schuldt, Emily O’Brien, Simone Bolka and Terra Midgett for all of their incredible work in 2010! Together, they brought many additional hours of art programming each week to patients and families.

“Arts For Life provides a great service. I experienced some truly wonderful moments with the children I worked with. I saw how learning about art entranced them, and I witnessed them explore their creativity. I watched them swell up with pride in their accomplishments. Arts For Life gives the children an opportunity to get something positive and educational from their doctor’s visits. I had many students who told me how they looked forward to coming every week, and that Arts For Life was the only reason they came for their appointments. I am so thankful that I was given an opportunity to share my love of art and learning.“

-Terra Midgett, 2010-11 Intern, UNC Asheville

Intern Becky with young artists at the art table

In 2010, thanks to a grant from the Janirve Foundation, AFL was able to strengthen its programming by hiring Anna Long as part-time art teacher in the Olson Huff Center and the Zeis Cancer Clinic, where she spends three days a week working with some very special kids. The consistency of a regular art teacher as creative and compassionate as Anna makes a world of difference at the art table.

Anna Long, teaching a student to make a miniature robot

music fellow: MelissaIn November of 2010, we were thrilled to add Melissa Hyman to our team as Asheville’s newest Music Fellow. Melissa has an impressive background as a touring and performing musician, and has also enjoyed lots of experience working with children. Working with Arts For Life has offered her her first opportunity to combine her love for music with teaching children. Since she started teaching on the pediatric floor at Mission, Melissa’s infectiously bubbly personality and rich singing voice have coaxed smiles out of even the most reserved students. She has regular students who literally hop out of bed when she knocks on their doors. Melissa even has one student who bought her own bag of instruments so that her whole family can jam when Melissa comes to visit, and so they can practice when Melissa’s not there.

We send a big THANK YOU to the Janirve Foundation and the North Carolina Arts Council, for making AFL Asheville’s Music Fellowship Program possible.

in loving memory

Haley Trinity and Bailei

Haley, Trinity, and Bailei inspired all the AFL teachers who had the honor of creating art and sharing laughter with these special girls.

This program was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council,a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

arts for life volunteers When Diane Hall attended the Southern Highland Craft Guild Fair in July of 2007, she had no idea it would offer her a first look at the volunteer experience she had been seeking since moving to Asheville. Remembering that day, she says: “I saw an Arts For Life booth manned by founder Anna Littman. I was very impressed by what she told me about the organization. It seemed like a wonderful way of using art to make a difference in a child’s life.”

Diane has been making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children and their families for the past four years, as a teaching volunteer at AFL’s art tables in the Olson Huff Center and the Reuter Center general waiting room. Each Thursday, she brings with her a selection of dynamic projects, honed through her years as an artist and teacher. She prefers projects that “let kids create a story about what they are doing.” She likes to involve as many different kinds of materials as possible - patterned paper, yarns, sequins, oil pastels, clay, and stickers, just to name a few. Diane regularly contributes her project ideas to Arts For Life’s Huff Center project rotation, and her projects are always some of the kids’ favorites.

Arts For Life simply could not exist without our volunteers’ generosity of time, energy, and spirit. Thank you to all of our incredible volunteers: those who teach, those who prepare art projects to put in the creative hands of our students, and those who help Arts For Life continue to grow in our community.

programming goals:• Utilize art stations, art teachers, and art lessons to transform and improve healthcare environments;

• Provide hospitalized and seriously ill children access to the arts and education;

• Help young patients and their families cope with short and long term effects of illness;

• Give patients opportunities to interact with peers (other patients and siblings);

• Foster patients’ imaginations, critical thinking skills, and creativity;

• Help patients to set and achieve goals;

• Guide patients in focusing on positive activities during waiting times and during stressful experiences;

• Provide positive educational experiences that add a sense of purpose and accomplishment to children’s lives.

fun & learning at the

arts for life art table

Our deepest appreciation goes to our friends at Mission Children’s Hospital. With the hospital’s support, AFL brings peace, light, and laughter to young patients on their darkest days. We could not accomplish our work without the support of Dr. Krystal Bottom, Dr. Doug Scothorn, Dr. Orren Beaty, Dr. Susan Mims, Miriam Scott, Kim Delk, David Stegall, the Child Life team, the Volunteer Leadership Committee, and the incredible nurses and healthcare professionals at Mission.

We thank the Janirve Foundation for making our Music Fellowship Program possible through a generous grant. With help from the Janirve Foundation, Arts For Life is able to provide many hours of art and music lessons.

arvato digital services is our community partner in so many ways. Whether hosting a charity golf tournament to benefit AFL, holding Cakes For Kids bake sales in the employee dining room, rounding up groups of volunteers eager to prepare art projects for kids at Mission Hospital, or providing much-appreciated advice from top executives to our staff, Arts For Life is proud to call arvato’s people neighbors, supporters, and friends.

Support from the Martin-Gillette Family Foundation made our first Fancy Pants Dance possible, which raised over $30,000 for our services here in Asheville. We also extend our deepest thanks to the committee of volunteers and our sponsors who gave us a fun and fanciful evening!

Arts For Life simply would not exist without the love and support of the Clear Light Fund, the Owen and Cecil Families and the Mission Hospital Foundation. Thank you for all you do for the special kids and families in our programs.

Arts For Life Sends a Heartfelt Thank You! to the People Who Made Our Work Possible in 2010

arts for lifeasheville

2010 report

to learn more about our work with young patients & families, visit:

How You Can Help: Host a Coffee Talk or a House Party to share AFL’s work with the communityVolunteer at Mission, teaching art to young patientsMake a donation to sustain our vital arts programmingOrganize a Cakes For Kids Bake Sale to benefit Arts For LifeContact us today to find out about opportunities to get involved with Arts For Life!

CONTACT arts for life!info@aflnc.org 828-658-1599

Front Cover Artwork: “Giraffe,” by Shayla, age 7

Asheville Savings BankBlanchard HyundaiThe Brown Family FoundationCathedral of All Souls

Festiva Hospitality GroupJubilee!Merrill Lynch and Bank of AmericaNew York Community Trust

And Thank You to:Becky AndersonBrian GainesCanvas Paint & MingleCastle Rock WineryColleen and Gary GuglielmoDianne and Robert LevyDoug Michaels and Mariano Garrido-LopezEleanor and Charlie OwenFrances AckermanGary WeinerGil and Joe CalderwoodHedy Fischer

Highwater ClaysJill and Joe LawrenceJim Barkley ToyotaJudy and Jim WarrenLinwood Watson and Charlton WardLouise GlickmanLynn and Steve ForbesMargaret NewellMimi ShackelfordMyrt McNeely North Carolina Arts CouncilRebecca ManskeRon English

Rosalind Willis and Greg OlsonSouthern Highland Craft GuildStewart Griffin and Ray O’NeillTeresa Van DuynTILT Works, Inc.Valerie Poullette and Stewart AltmanVal JohnsonWhitt’s Catering ServiceWilliam WinklerWomen on Wineand countless more

Our gratitude goes to: