Art With Heart » 2010

Volunteer Spotlight

January 26, 2010, 10:58 am

Jennifer with Oodles of Doodles

Jennifer S. was living in Portland, Oregon when her husband brought home an article from Horizon Air Magazine about Art with Heart, and suggested that Jennifer look into getting involved.

Jennifer had a strong art background in art and had even taught art at an elementary school but had never before heard of anyone validating of the therapeutic value of art. She was intrigued and traveled to Seattle to attend an Art with Heart training session. Shortly after that, Jennifer and her husband moved to Seattle. Wanting to be involved in the community, Jennifer went to Swedish Hospital, where she knew, as soon as she saw the art on the walls that she had found the perfect place to practice her newly-learned skills from Art with Heart.

As an Art Buddy, Jennifer volunteers 4-8 hours each week, using Art with Heart books to engage the children in conversations outside of “hospital stuff.”

“The positive coping skills and self-confidence that they gain are very evident,” says Jennifer, “Its such a great feeling to see the change in the kids and help them be at ease. They now also have a piece of art that helps them stay positive if they get scared later.”

Jennifer also seeds parents engage with their children in new ways because of the books and the art. As the parents discover their child’s creative talents, some of the stress of being in the hospital seems to disappear. Even the hospital staff joins in, bringing donations of magazines and art supplies that Jennifer can use with the kids.

“Spending several hours with the kids here makes up for years of being at mediocre jobs,” she observes. “Swedish is a great place to use my skills. The only thing missing is MORE Art with Heart volunteers!”

If you would like to learn more, come to our training on Wed., Jan. 27! The training will cover usage of all three Art with Heart books. The training will help potential volunteers feel comfortable using art with hospitalized children.

C&S at Swedish

, 10:48 am

Evi works at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. She became interested in becoming a Child Life Specialist when she volunteered for Art with Heart at Children’s Hospital several years ago. She had nannied for many years and found her volunteer time through Art with Heart to be a great way to combine her passion for children with her passion for creativity.

Evi brought Art with Heart’s “Art Buddy” program to Swedish when she was hired and has been working with volunteers to bring creativity to children in the hospital.

She relates the story of an 18-year-old girl with Friedrich’s Ataxia that she gave the Chill & Spill journal to, in order to help her cope with the effects of the disease. Although the patient had difficulty writing her name, speaking clearly and even sitting up, she was able to paint.

Inspired by Chill & Spill’s “Safe Place” activity, she painted a fall scene and wrote a poem about where she felt the safest. Later when she felt overwhelmed by the progressive nature of her disease, she had visual mementos of her “safe place” to keep with her and use that as a tool to help her release her anxiety.

Evi is excited to have more Art with Heart volunteers. Evi wants to remind everyone, though that “you don’t have to be an artist yourself to facilitate creative expression.”