SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN, LOS ANGELES
September 29, 2006

Dear colleagues at The Art of Elysium,

I wanted to thank The Art of Elysium for coming to Shriners Hospitals for Children – Los Angeles to bring art, entertainment, music and theater to our patients. Working together, we are able to provide additional services to our patients and families! Art, entertainment, music and theater are all an integral part of our patients’ therapy and rehabilitation. Art and theater allows the children to creatively express themselves.

Art is important to our children’s well being. Sometimes the children’s treatments are painful or they miss their friends and family back home. Having an art project to concentrate on assists them take their mind off of their situation and refocus their attention on something joyful.

Music Therapy provides a non-threatening way for people to express themselves. It is an outlet for emotion. In addition, music allows all of the children to interact without sharing a common language which is especially important at our hospital because the three most common languages spoken are English, Spanish and Korean.

The Acting workshops are interactive and involve a number of skills including listening, following directions, creativity, language, and full body movement. An example of this was when the children were sitting in a circle and each took turns acting like an animal while their peers guessed what animal they were. There was also a lot of laughing during this activity!

Having each of these creative programs in the hospital helps the children refocus their attention from their medical conditions and treatments and have fun.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Dever
Assistant Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Shriners Hospitals for Children
Los Angeles