Bring healing art to kids in medical crisis

In this season of giving and sharing with family and friends, we've been reflecting a great deal on some of our cherished connections.

Part of bringing the healing power of art to children and families facing medical challenges is that we make trusting and long-lasting connections. More often than we'd like, those connections are colored by heartbreak.

Last week we were visited by Emilie's family. We never had a chance to meet Emilie - and are so, SO honored that her family has chosen Children's Healing Art Project to help carry her legacy. According to Alissa + Robbie, her parents, Emilie LOVED art, and was writing her own name and drawing family portraits by age 2 . At age 6, Emilie was one of the children lost in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. 

To honor Emilie's memory, they created the Emilie Parker Art Connection, and pass along 100% of proceeds to community art programs that connect children with art. We were humbled to be mentioned in their posting on December 14, 2015, marking the third anniversary of her loss.

When Robbie + Alissa made their most recent visit to CHAP, they brought an incredible bounty - a box full of beautiful beads, wire, jewelry tools, charms.... They'd received it from a generous woman who'd decided to close her store and wanted to find a meaningful home for these last few items. They thought of us.

As we've shared in past reports, beading is one of our most powerful and popular programs. So far in 2015, we've provided over 3,000 healing art experiences using beads as the creative medium. (This is 1/3 of the total number of art experiences we expect to offer this year.)

When we sit with families at Doernbecher Children's Hospital while they're waiting outside surgery, we've found that people of all ages are drawn toward the beads. Children who are waiting for their turn - and feeling a bit antsy and also perhaps grumpy because they haven't been allowed to eat while preparing for surgery - are quickly distracted by the concentration it takes to select just the right beads and carefully string them. Parents who are waiting to hear that their children are out of surgery - and hoping for good news about the outcome - find beading to be calming and perhaps meditative. Beading is also something inpatients of all ages enjoy - especially those in the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) oncology program at OHSU Knight Cancer Institute. There's a reason humans have continued making and using beads for centuries!

Being with Robbie + Alissa for a few moments in between errands and less than a week from what must be one of the hardest days each year, was a gift. Being the recipients of generosity that came through their efforts was a blessing. Being part of Emilie's legacy - helping her family live their goal of paying forward the love and support they've received - is a sacred trust.

Sharing the healing power of art is our shared mission. Thank YOU for making it possible for us to do this work. 

Links:

• http://www.chap.name