Spotlight on Organizations Project: ARTWORKS,The Naomi Cohain Foundation

Today we are beginning a new project placing a spotlight on arts organizations and arts projects doing amazing work across the USA. I want to thank all of these organizations for believing in the power of the arts.

                        the sunflower is by Elena and Gabi is the sister with the great dog pictures!    

                                   ARTWORKS,The Naomi Cohain Foundation

I had the privilege of meeting Daniela Mendalsohn back in early 2002 when she first started this great organization. She has done an amazing job creating and growing ARTWORKS into the organization it is today,which was inspired by her late cousin Naomi Cohain. Daniela saw the impact the arts had on her cousin during her illness and was determined to honor her in a way which would help other children and young adults through the arts. It takes perseverance, a strong belief and commitment to create something from nothing.  

The mission of ArtWorks, The Naomi Cohain Foundation is to improve the healthcare experience of pediatric patients by providing programs in the creative and performing arts. ArtWorks provides children and young adults facing chronic and life-limiting illnesses, and their families, access to empowering and expressive art programs!   Throughout New York and New Jersey

ARTWORKS Programs include:
1.Teaching Artists Program:invites teaching artists into the hospital setting to offer our young artists workshops and one on one sessions
2. Suprise! Supplies: brings arts supplies and craft kits to our Young Artists through specifically designed mobile art carts,providing opportunities throughout the day,especially for our Young Artists who are not able to leave their beds.
3. Express Yourself:is a biannual creative and performing arts exhibition in New York and New Jersey inviting our Young Artists to take part in a program of awe-inspiring performances and a gallery exhibition.   

ArtWorks' mission is so important because the 20,000 children utilizing our programs are in the hospital focusing on their chronic or life-limiting illness. We use art to heal, art to inspire and art to empower. Our programs give these children a chance to express themselves and to process their experiences by drawing, doing theater arts, painting or playing music.  A good example of this is a story one of our Artists of the Month shared with me. She said that before she was highlighted by ArtWorks, she was just the sick kid. The kid with a deliberating illness but for the month that she was spotlighted-she was not the sick kid but the kid who was Artist of the Month! 

Amy Sokal, Executive Director, https://artworksfoundation.org

Elena's mother Donna sharing from her heart:

It is an honor and a privilege for our family to be connected with the wonderful ArtWorks organization. We first learned about ArtWorks in 2014 when a child life specialist from Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey shared about an upcoming ArtWorks Express Yourself Show.  I was very excited to learn more about this wonderful organization because I have four beautiful children, Elena (17), David (15) and twins Gabriella & Gianni (12), who love to express themselves through art and music. I learned that ArtWorks provides children and young adults facing chronic and life threatening illnesses and their families access to creative and performing art programs to help them heal, communicate and express themselves through music and art. ArtWorks empowers, validates and honors these children by giving them a voice and visibility. 

Elena has had two open heart surgeries before age 10 and has been hospitalized multiple times. During those difficult days in the hospital when Elena was well enough to do so, she painted and created art work with the child life specialists in her hospital room and when she was strong enough to visit the hospital's beautifully decorated art/playroom. As her Mom, those times meant so much to me because my sweet child who had been though so much was smiling and laughing. 

Elena has created beautiful art work in school and Gabriella loves to draw and paint almost daily. They both have submitted artwork for the Express Yourself shows and ArtWorks annual auction. Our family has received a great gift being associated with ArtWorks not only because of the compassion, acceptance and encouragement that has been shown to our family, but because my children have been able to pay it forward to other children and families by sharing their art. We are very grateful for ArtWorks!