Being in the hospital can be stressful for children and their families dealing with serious illnesses.
Art with a Heart in Healthcare attempts to lessen children’s fear, pain, boredom and depression by providing art sessions during their stay in the hospital, according to a news release from the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville.
The museum is displaying some of that work in the upcoming “Inside the Outline: Art with a Heart in Healthcare” exhibit Aug. 6-Dec. 4.
The exhibition features silhouettes of the patient-artists with colorful patterns, favorite foods, landscapes and particular interests.
An opening reception is 2-4 p.m. Aug. 7 in the Florida Blue Education Gallery on the museum’s fifth floor.
MOCA Jacksonville partners with Art with a Heart in Healthcare for patients and families at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children’s Clinic.
The program is sponsored by First Tennessee Foundation, the charitable arm of First Tennessee Bank.
Patients work with an artist-in-residence while in the hospital.
Founded in 2001, the program provides a staff artist, community volunteers and University of North Florida interns every day to develop sessions.
The nonprofit’s emphasis on personal expression from a fine art perspective helps humanize the high-tech clinical atmosphere of the hospital, the release said.
First Tennessee Bank, with more than 170 locations in five states, is sponsoring Art with a Heart in Healthcare for the second year in a row.
For information, including hours of operation, admission prices, and upcoming exhibitions and programs, visit mocajacksonville.unf.edu or call (904) 366-6911.
Baptist Medical Center goes to the dogs
In a three-year period, Melissa Loeffelholz endured several major surgeries and spent months in the hospital.
She was in a car accident in 2012 and needed jaw surgery.
She then was diagnosed with a rare cerebrovascular disorder and had brain surgery in 2013. The next year, Loeffelholz had her appendix removed and two stomach surgeries.
She found comfort in her recoveries at home from her two dogs and decided she wanted to offer pet therapy to give back.
When Loeffelholz turned 30 last year, her husband bought Oscar, an English goldendoodle. She started him in training right away.
Oscar is one of two dogs in the new pet visitation program at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville. Pets have long been used to help children in the hospital. Now adults have that option.
The Grace Andersen Pet Visitation Program includes Oscar and Penny, a Boston terrier. Two other teams are in training, including for obedience and temperament, with their owners. The goal is 16 pets.
The program started through a gift to the Baptist Health Foundation from Andersen, a longtime donor and animal lover. The donation pays for training, immunizations, supplies and other needs.
The Baptist Jacksonville program is similar to the pet therapy program that Wolfson Children’s Hospital Auxiliary started in 1995. Baptist Medical Center Beaches also has a program in which a volunteer brings poodles to cheer up patients at The Center for Joint Replacement and cardiac rehab sessions.
Baptist Health’s other hospitals also are seeing the benefit. Baptist Medical Center Nassau started a program in December with 7-year-old Labrador retriever, Maggie, and Baptist Medical Center South is looking into starting a pet therapy program.
For more information about the program, call (904) 202-2059.
Riders from Hope Therapy win medals at Special Olympics
For 15 years, Marianne and Rebecca Davenport have been working to improve the lives of children and adults with special needs by using equine-assisted activities and therapy through Hope Therapy.
This spring, the Davenports turned to the Jacksonville Equestrian Center for help with preparing their riders for the Florida State Special Olympics Equestrian Championships.
“Before going to the Special Olympics, we wanted to get the riders and horses familiar with a big facility like the one we would be going to for the competition,” said Rebecca Davenport, occupational therapist and program director at Hope Therapy.
When it came time for the riders to compete in the Florida State Special Olympics Equestrian Championships, their training paid off.
Competitors from Hope Therapy bring home a gold, a silver and a bronze medal.
Hope Therapy is the area’s only premier accredited center of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International. The organization also provides programs for active duty, disabled and retired military personnel.
Hippotherapy uses horses as treatment for people with special care needs. The movement of the horse encourages muscle action and can improve balance. Positive psychological, social, emotional and behavioral effects also can be seen in people who use hippotherapy.
For more information about Hope Therapy, visit hopetherapy.org.
Deadline Friday to apply for arts grants
The PNC Foundation, in conjunction with the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, will award $510,000 over three years to arts organizations in Broward, Duval and Palm Beach counties.
The grants are part of PNC Arts Alive!, which has provided millions of dollars to support visual and performing arts and increase audience participation in communities served by PNC.
PNC will be accepting grant proposals for $10,000 and above from qualified arts organizations that support fresh and emerging arts programs, value-added public programming and creative use of technology, while seeking to expand audiences.
Proposals are due by Friday. Details are available at pncartsalive.com.
Haven Hospice honors NEFAR
Through its annual charity bass fishing tournament, the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors has raised more than $346,000 during the past 13 years to support programs and services for Haven Hospice patients and families.
In addition, NEFAR donated a truck to Haven Hospice, which supports Haven’s Attic Resale Store in Orange Park.
Most recently, a new van and a replacement wrap on another truck were donated to assist the store.
In the past 35 years, Haven Hospice has helped more than 68,000 patients and families in North Florida. For more information, visit havenhospice.org or call (800) 727-1889.
Trust protects 33 more acres for McGirts Creek Park
North Florida Land Trust facilitated the donation of 33 acres of land to the city to expand McGirts Creek Park.
The new parcel of land has been added to the now 123-acre park on 118th Street in West Jacksonville.
The land will add to the preservation of the creek and Ortega River system.
The property is a restored floodplain wetland that had been taken over by Chinese tallow trees, one of the worst local invasive species.
The trees have been removed so the natural swamp forest can be restored.
The park includes a community center, basketball courts, playground, picnic areas, trails, three youth baseball fields and two soccer fields.
North Florida Land Trust works with private land owners who are looking to permanently preserve their property. The organization also accepts the donation of conservation easements or the sale or donation of property.
The trust is funded by private and corporate contributions and works with private landowners and public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners and foundations.
For more information, visit northfloridalandtrust.org.