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THE ART OF ELYSIUM is currently serving the following hospitals: CHILDRENS HOSPITAL LOS ANGELES, SHRINER'S HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN and MATTEL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL at UCLA. We are happy to announce that we held our very first NEW YORK workshop at MORGAN STANLEY CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF NEW YORK - PRESBYTERIAN. In addition to the hospitals, we are collaborating with the following Non Profit organizations: THE EPILEPSY FOUNDATION, WE CAN, THE LOLLIPOP THEATER and THE TALIA SEIDMAN FOUNDATION.

In March 2006, we provided artistic workshops for 119 children and in April 2006 we worked with 186 children! Workshops included: music lessons and bed side visits, pillowcase decorating, improvisation and painting. Special programs at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles included: YO LO TENGO, an 8 week self esteem workshop for boys and Flamenco guitarists read childrens poetry to music in honor of National Poetry month. With your help we can reach our goal of arranging workshops for over 500 children per month! We are always looking for new volunteers. If you are involved in the arts, enjoy working with children or simply want to come in to our offices and lend a helping hand, please contact us.

We are proud to announce a new partnership with THE TALIA SEIDMAN FOUNDATION. This wonderful organization provides the technology to videoconference medically fragile children into their classroom from their home or hospital when their illness prevents them from attending school. The founder approached The Art of Elysium to invite our celebrity friends to make phone calls to these children.

Our first teleconferencing conversation was held by RICKY ULLMAN, star of The Disney Channel's "Phil of the Future". Ricky spoke with Benjamin who is 14 years old and was born with kidney problems. Even before he was born, his pregnant mother had to have two operations because the fetus was retaining urine rather than being able to drain it. When he was born the doctors gave him less than 2 weeks to live, but the family fought through this and they surpassed doctors expectations. When he was two or three years old his father donated a kidney which worked very well, but now that kidney is starting to give in and so he will soon have to go through another transplant (his mother will donate one of her kidneys). Obviously it is not guaranteed to be a success, but fingers crossed everything will be fine. Benjamin has been out of school for almost a year and the school district sends a teacher to his home twice a week to home school him. Benjamin has two brothers and a sister (he is the oldest child). Obviously his handicap is quite a severe one, and he spends 12 hours a day asleep. He has to give himself daily injections and has other medication that he has to take. His mother says he never ever complains and it seems to be harder on her and her husband than it is for Benjamin. RICKY ULLMAN spoke with Benjamin from The Art of Elysium offices for over an hour. Throughout the conversation you could definitely sense a shift in Benjamin's mood and demeanor. We look forward to touching many more children's lives in collaboration with The Talia Seidman Foundation. If you would like to make a donation to support this program or know of a celebrity who would be interested in having a teleconference conversation with a child please contact us!

We were approached by yet another fantastic non profit, LOLLIPOP THEATER, to join them in their screening of the beautiful Lionsgate Film "AKEELAH AND THE BEE". Their founder asked us to stage improvisation spelling bees at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA in Los Angeles and Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York - Presbyterian. In New York, the cast of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, performed excerpts from the show and engaged in some improvisation with the children. Cast members including Celia Keenan-Bolger, Todd Buonopane, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Gad, Lisa Howard, Sarah Stiles, Greg Stuhr and Associate Musical Director, Carmel Dea all participated.

Kimberly Aboltin, Matt Boren and Ian Wolterstorff engaged children at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA in Los Angeles in a fantastic improvisation workshop which incorporated all of the elements of a real spelling bee. All of the kids received Spelling Bee Champion trophies at the end of the workshop prior to watching the movie!

TALIA SEIDMAN FOUNDATION

We are proud to announce a new partnership with THE TALIA SEIDMAN FOUNDATION. This wonderful organization provides the technology to videoconference medically fragile children into their classroom from their home or hospital when their illness prevents them from attending school. The founder approached The Art of Elysium to invite our celebrity friends to make phone calls to these children. Our first teleconferencing conversation was held by RICKY ULLMAN, star of The Disney Channel's "Phil of the Future". Ricky spoke with Benjamin who is 14 years old and was born with kidney problems. Even before he was born, his pregnant mother had to have two operations because the fetus was retaining urine rather than being able to drain it. When he was born the doctors gave him less than 2 weeks to live, but the family fought through this and they surpassed doctors expectations. When he was two or three years old his father donated a kidney which worked very well, but now that kidney is starting to give in and so he will soon have to go through another transplant (his mother will donate one of her kidneys). Obviously it is not guaranteed to be a success, but fingers crossed everything will be fine. Benjamin has been out of school for almost a year and the school district sends a teacher to his home twice a week to home school him. Benjamin has two brothers and a sister (he is the oldest child). Obviously his handicap is quite a severe one, and he spends 12 hours a day asleep. He has to give himself daily injections and has other medication that he has to take. His mother says he never ever complains and it seems to be harder on her and her husband than it is for Benjamin. RICKY ULLMAN spoke with Benjamin from The Art of Elysium offices for over an hour. Throughout the conversation you could definitely sense a shift in Benjamin's mood and demeanor. We look forward to touching many more children's lives in collaboration with The Talia Seidman Foundation. If you would like to make a donation to support this program or know of a celebrity who would be interested in having a teleconference conversation with a child please contact us! Make a donation...

SPELLING BEE WORKSHOP

We were approached by yet another fantastic non profit, LOLLIPOP THEATER, to join them in their screening of the beautiful Lionsgate Film "AKEELAH AND THE BEE". Their founder asked us to stage improvisation spelling bees at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA in Los Angeles and Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York - Presbyterian. In New York, the cast of the Tony Award winning Broadway musical, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, performed excerpts from the show and engaged in some improvisation with the children. Cast members including Celia Keenan-Bolger, Todd Buonopane, Deborah S. Craig, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Gad, Lisa Howard, Sarah Stiles, Greg Stuhr and Associate Musical Director, Carmel Dea all participated. Kimberly Aboltin, Matt Boren and Ian Wolterstorff engaged children at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA in Los Angeles in a fantastic improvisation workshop which incorporated all of the elements of a real spelling bee. All of the kids received Spelling Bee Champion trophies at the end of the workshop prior to watching the movie! Akeelah and the Bee...