Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Sing for Hope Helps the Community

Disclosure: This is a guest post.

The Sing for Hope organization, a non-profit, provides outreach programs to make the arts accessible to everyone in under-resourced communities throughout New York City. That includes children, seniors, hospital patients, neighborhood centers, healthcare patients and their caregivers.

Their Volunteer Artist Roster works with numerous public institutions and organizations to bring some of the more than 1,500 artists of all kinds who all work to ignite the spark of creative innovation in their audiences. The professional actors, dancers, opera singers, jazz and classical instrumentalists, puppeteers, visual artists, musical theater performers, choreographers, composers, designers, directors and others hope to uplift and inspire individuals through their dynamic arts and bring the power of the arts to those who need it.

Sing for Hope’s programs are free of charge and range from hospital concerts to after-school arts classes to the famous Sing for Hope Pianos, where, for two weeks every year, 88 artist-designed pianos are brought to the public spaces and parks of the five boroughs for anyone to play and to be viewed by an estimated two million New Yorkers and visitors. These pianos are then donated to community-based organizations to enrich lives for many years to come.

Some of the places where performances are presented are:

NYU: Center for Children, a Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery dedicated to providing comprehensive management for pediatric neuromuscular and musculoskeletal disorders.

Holiday Sing at James J. Peters VA Medical Center

United Cerebral Palsy of New York City and of Brooklyn, a non-profit agency providing technology, direct services and advocacy for adults and children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Coler Hospital on Roosevelt Island, a specialty care nursing facility and hospital that provides quality sub-acute, medical, long-term and rehabilitative specialty services.

NYU: Hospital for Joint Diseases, which has a tradition of medical innovation and treatments that have improved the lives of people with neurological and musculoskeletal disorders.

New York Memory Center, a pioneer in bringing home and community solutions with positive impact on the lives of adults living with memory loss from the early stage Alzheimer’s diseases and related dementias.

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, a Sing for Hope Board Member and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, said, “I believe we have a responsibility and a built-in urge to use our talents and innate gifts to help improve the lives of those less fortunate."




 

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I love to hear organizations like this are using the arts to cross barriers and both help and unite our community. The arts have been the heart of different people finding connecting points.

Shelly Peterson said...

What a great organization that allows many who might not have access to the art enjoy and experience it.

JewelWood said...

What a wonderful organization that helps others with getting to see the arts right where they are and participate!

Unknown said...

Wow, this is a great organization. It sort of reminds me of classical blast. They go around playing music for the sick because they believe in music being therapy.

Sherrie said...

Wha a wonderful organization. I hope they receive all the donations they need to keep it thriving.

Keara B. said...

What an awesome organization. My husband is a high school teacher, and although he doesn't teach music or art, he recognizes the importance of those subjects for all students. Glad to hear there is a group out there helping making the arts accessible to all!