Bring healing art to kids in medical crisis

In 2010, CHAP provided healing arts experiences to 6,062 critically/chronically ill and disabled children and family members last year. CHAP also provided over arts programming to over 5,000 children from the community through field trips, camps, workshops and open art times.  Generous donations and funding has allowed CHAP to continue and expand art programming at in and out of the local hospitals.  The following are just a few examples of the excitement that 2010 brought.

• CHAP hired a third teaching artist for Friday afternoons at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital (DCH) oncology unit. This new position enabled CHAP to offer paint canvases to children for the first time. Their paintings were displayed in CHAP’s first in-hospital art gallery in February, 2011 and their work will be shown, and evolve monthly, in Portland’s First Thursday art walks Portland’s arts district. This Mobile Art Gallery demonstrates the courage, humor and ingenuity of our young artists and their family members by bringing their art to the public to engage, inspire and encourage our community to see the children for the art they create.
• CHAP continues to expand the arts programming at the Schnitzer Diabetes Center and the Knight Cancer Institute with programs at our outreach facility the CHAP Art Factory, enabling CHAP to further reach out to populations of critically and chronically ill children, teens and young adults.
• Children were given the opportunity to dream up super heroes for the CHAP Children’s Cancer Cartoon Network.  Some of their creations were Super Baby, Rockin Rosey,Mr Earthquake, Super Snow Guy, Mood Swing Lizzie, and many others have joined the ranks of Bacon Boy, Sinister Sauce and Heaven Warrior.  This particular form of self-expression inspires the children to get really creative dreaming up their alter-egos.
•  Parent’s Night continues to be a time of creativity, healing and social support for parents of children with cancer at DCH.  As one mother said, “My life is torn into so many painful pieces, I would like to put the pieces together and make something beautiful.” Our parents group focuses on providing that opportunity to parents each week, so in turn they are able to go back and provide their families with the care and support they need.

Thank you so very much for your incredible support. Your generosity enabled us to bring comfort, laughter and creativity to children, teens and their families during dark, painful and frustrating days. We are grateful for the opportunity to do this work and humbled by your support of CHAP. 

Links:

• CHAP Website