Pam Getty had a similar experience when she witnessed her first TAO program at St. Mary’s Home for Disabled Children. “I never would have believed it,” she says, “but you could actually see the joy in the kids’ faces.”
That was all it took for Getty to join the TAO board and begin contributing her piano-playing skills to the organization’s programs. Those new roles reignited her passion for the arts, something the music major and former sound technician had lost years before. “It brought music into the forefront of my life again,” she says.
Through TAO, artists like Leiderman and Getty – dancers, musicians, visual artists, theatre groups, and storytellers – share their talents with a vastly under-served population who are confined to hospitals, retirement homes, rehabilitation centers, homeless shelters, and other facilities. For thousands of these people, who are often lonely and invisible to the rest of society, Tidewater Arts Outreach has brought the arts back into their lives.
And the experience can be life-changing, as one daughter learned.
She came to visit her mother in a retirement center and encourage her to take part in TAO’s music program. But she couldn’t find her and started to panic. Finally, she spotted her mom already at the program – and dancing. With tears in her eyes, the daughter said it was the first time in her life she had ever seen her mother dance.
In study after study, the tremendous benefits of the arts in healing are being documented. In the “2009 State of the Field Report: Arts in Healthcare,” hospice pioneer Wilma Bulkin Siegel, M.D., said, “The arts can be used to heal both clinically as preventive medicines in mental health and for those suffering physically from illness.”
Being engaged in an artistic activity -- whether it’s a child who’s terminally ill, a family in a homeless shelter, or a wheelchair-bound grandparent-- can have a powerful positive impact, including:
• Reduced anxiety, pain, depression, and fatigue
• Enhanced connection to community
• Better relationships between staff and patients
• Higher levels of involvement in other activities
• People feel connected, heard and appreciated
• Helps people be seen and understood as individuals, not as patients, numbers,
or by their job descriptions or diseases
In 2009, more than 200 artists shared their performances and abilities with upwards of 5,000 people through the programs of Tidewater Arts Outreach.
“I know musicians who like to perform in nursing homes and hospitals,” says Pam Getty, “but they don’t know how to go about it. TAO puts an organized effort behind that, connecting the facilities and artists, providing mentorship and support, and often bringing a unique and high quality of arts offering into the facility.”
And as she has learned, it’s not just the residents who benefit from the programs. “I probably get more out of it than the people I play for,” Getty says. “It’s the biggest artist rush I’ve ever gotten,” Leiderman adds. From the professionals of Virginia Symphony and Virginia Stage Company to new artists just starting out, once someone participates with TAO, they’re hooked.
Board member and volunteer Kara O’Brien, an attorney, learned about TAO from her well-known singer/songwriter dad, Lewis McGehee. “I had always been involved with dance and music and theatre,” O’Brien says, “but once I went to law school, all that went by the wayside. This was a great opportunity to fill that void and feel like I’m helping people at the same time.”
Through TAO, O’Brien teaches guitar lessons to troubled children and teens living in a special residence. “I feel like I’m connecting with them in a way that they don’t connect with adults very often. Music is a healthy escape outlet for them.”
Our programs also have a remarkable effect on people who work at the places we serve. “It was an eye-opening learning experience for staff to see the potential of our impaired residents,” one coordinator said. “Your outreach program does wonders for my residents,” said another.
With the aging of the baby boomers, the number of those residents will soon skyrocket. And the number of Virginians age 85 and older is growing five times faster than the state’s total population growth. The population of Virginias age 60 and older will grow from 14.7 percent of the total population in 1990 to almost 25 percent by 2025 when there will be more than two million Virginians in this age group.
We have a waiting list of places to serve, and a longer list of artists interested in helping. The need is clear. The artists are willing. The instruments to heal are in our hands. But we can’t put them to good use without your financial support.
When you give to Tidewater Arts Outreach, your money is used to help people right here in the community. “If they’re not someone you know,” Leiderman pointed out, “then they’re the mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers of folks you know. And someday it may be you.” Imagine, never again being captivated by a pianist, engaged in a live performance, enthralled by a piece of art, or singing your favorite song.
Please, help us bring the joy and healing power of the arts to the people who need them the most. Together, we have the chance to change lives and alleviate pain through our contributions. |
April 5–7, 2012
