Arkansas Children’s Hospital Receives $7,500 Plum Creek Grant
April 29th, 2013 by Submitted
The Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the needs and research of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital, received a $7,500 grant from the Plum Creek Foundation to support “Arts in Education,” a program to help sick or injured children cope with their hospitalization through art projects that are part of their schooling.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital admits approximately 14,000 patients, performs 13,000 surgeries and receives nearly 325,000 patient visits to its outpatient and specialty clinics each year. The hospital provides schooling to children who have chronic illnesses and must visit the hospital frequently, children whose stays exceed eight days, those who have special needs, and children who have missed school before hospitalization.
“The Artist-In-Residency Program here at Arkansas Children’s Hospital has become such an important resource to our patients and families,” said Elizabeth Weber, artist in residence at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. “The Plum Creek Foundation’s generous donation will help bring even more smiles to these kids by providing art supplies and helping us purchase additional adaptive equipment to make the creative experience more readily accessible to all of our patients.”
Founded in 2009, the Arts in Education program has two professional artists, both of whom have educational backgrounds. The artists design and teach art projects that help educate more than 1,000 patients each year. They have found that patients enjoy the art projects and are happier about “attending school” when the art activities are incorporated into the educational process.
“All children need the ability to express and communicate their feelings, and they get that through the Arts in Education program,” said Steve Hanley, senior resource manager for Plum Creek in Arkansas. “Plum Creek is proud to help the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foundation continue this program to make the coping process for the patients easier.”
The Plum Creek Foundation supports non-profit organizations that improve the overall quality of life in the communities where Plum Creek operates. The Foundation board meets quarterly to review submitted grant applications. Visit www.plumcreek.com/communityinvolvement to download an application and learn more about the foundation grant program in addition to other ways that Plum Creek is serving its communities.
For more information about the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and its Arts in Education program, visit www.archildrens.org.
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