Discovery Arts
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
"Arts Adventures"
Our Programs, called "Arts Adventures", are fun, creative, interactive explorations of music, art, dance and drama, which strengthen the emotional health of critically ill children to help them better cope with the tremendous difficulties of critical illness. Arts Adventures encourage and enhance children’s cognitive development, imagination, creativity, socialization skills and gross motor skills. Under the guidance of professional artists and volunteers, children embark on magical creative adventures that strengthen their ability to cope with the trauma of their illness and positively impact their treatment and recovery. By addressing children’s emotional needs, our programs also provide essential, welcome support to both the medical community and the children’s families.
Where we work
Awards
External reviews
Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
According to the most recent national statistics from the American Childhood Cancer Organization, they state that, "Each year in the U.S. there are an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age who are diagnosed with cancer. That is 1 in 285 children in the U.S.. Globally there are more than 250,000 children diagnosed.
Childhood cancer diagnosis is and has been on the increase and rising for the past few decades. Life changes forever with this diagnosis. Children can't attend school regularly or participate in extracurricular activities. The residual effects of treatment leave many children disabled. They suffer the debilitating, painful effects of radiation and chemotherapy, reduced energy levels, weakened musculature and compromised immune systems. They're frightened, lonely and confused; they're often angry and withdrawn. The emotional trauma they experience is enormous and their need is great: they need a safe place to express their feelings; they need relief from the isolation and tedium of hospitalization; they need a sense of control in their life; they desperately need fun and normalcy. Unfortunately, these needs are largely unmet because the medical community must first focus on treating the physical child, and families are overwhelmed emotionally and financially as they struggle to cope.
Within a framework of fun and laughter, Arts Adventures provide diversion from the isolation and tedium of hospitalization. They strengthen coping skills and increase children's self-esteem by helping them discover new skills and talents, and by providing constant, positive encouragement. Discovery Arts gives children something to look forward to and something upon which they can depend. Our programs create opportunities for children to interact with other children with critical illness, and to develop friendships with children and adults, both of which can have powerful emotional and health benefits. We give them a sense of control by letting them choose costumes, activities and degree of participation. Most important, Arts Adventures help critically ill children create, for a couple of hours, a world in which they're not sick; a world in which they can sing and dance and paint, and rediscover the happiness of normal childhood.
The medical community has also recognized the benefits of our programs, evidenced by the following comment:
"I have personally witnessed the power of Discovery Arts programs to improve the general outlook and attitudes of our hospitalized children and their families… One look at the faces of our patients and their families and I know you'll become a believer like me."
Dr. Jerry Z. Finklestein, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at UCLA School of Medicine and Founding Director of Jonathan Jaques Children's Cancer Center
It is our goal to reach as many children as we can, add new hospitals, new "Arts Adventure" programs and services as funding allows.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Discovery Arts is the only known organization that provides this specific type of interdisciplinary arts program on a consistent, on-going basis to hospitalized children. Hospital patient populations change constantly. While some children participate in our programs on a regular basis over the course of months or years, others may participate only a few times, depending on their particular illness and treatment schedule. And new cases are diagnosed every day.
Our programs are on-going to help meet this on-going need. Once we begin providing programs at a particular hospital, we strive to maintain those programs year round and for years to come. We add new programs in other areas of the hospitals and new hospitals are added to our roster as funding allows; new programs are implemented by increasing our ability to provide materials and supplies, and enlisting additional staff and volunteers.
Achieving consistent funding throughout the year is challenging and our small but mighty staff works constantly to achieve this. With the help of Foundations, Corporations, Individuals, Monthly Donors, Events and Fundraisers we have been able to sustain and grow our programs. We would like to take a bigger "jump" and be able to teach people across the U.S., how to do "Discovery Arts" in their local Pediatric Hospital's cancer units and medical surgery units. Every child in America who is going through this devastating disease, deserves to find hope, new life and discovery their artistic talents while learning to think creatively. It makes a huge difference for the children and their families while they are going through so much.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Discovery Arts was created in 1993 by arts and entertainment industry professionals who began volunteering their time and talents to provide music, dance, art and drama to children with cancer hospitalized at Jonathan Jaques Children's Cancer Center in Long Beach. Based upon the positive, enthusiastic response from the children, their families and medical staff, Discovery Arts was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency in 1998 with the mission to expand the delivery of these creative experiences to many more children hospitalized throughout southern California.
Today, we provide regular on-going programs for the children at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Jonathan Jaques Children's Cancer Center at Millers, CHOC Children's Hospital, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, CHOC at Mission and at Mercy Children's Hospital in Springfield, Missouri serving more than 3,500 critically ill children each year.
The success of our programs have received special recognition and Awards from Disneyland (Leadership Award) and were awarded the only Disneyland Flashback Show recipient of 2010, The Samueli Foundation (Big Heart Award), CBS News “What's Right with Southern California", NBC News Feature with Cary Burgland, “Hometown Heroes" on Direct TV, along with many radio and television interviews and have received national recognition with our Spokesperson Cathy Rigby. Cathy, who recently completed the Broadway Tour of “Peter Pan" has recorded our first television PSA's that can be viewed on http://www.youtube.com/discoveryarts.
We are working on building our Board and our Funding to enable us to meet our goals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Over the past year and in spite of a challenging economy, we have successfully maintained all of our programs at Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Jonathan Jaques Children's Cancer Center at Millers, CHOC Children's Hospital, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center, CHOC at Mission and Mercy Children's Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, serving more than 3,500 children and their families.
We are constantly reminded by Child Life Staff and attending doctors and nurses that our programs and services are exactly what the children and their families need in this “pressure cooker" environment. It is our goal to keep duplicating our programs all over the country. Every child with cancer or life threatening illness deserves to be lifted up and have some fun and normalcy, especially in this horrific situation that is far from normal. All of our programs and services are free of charge to the hospitals, patients and their families. We rely on the support of individuals, corporations and foundations to survive and grow.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Discovery Arts
Board of directorsas of 08/31/2021
Mr. Don Harper
Don Harper Productions, Inc.
Term: 1998 -
Ms. Marilyn Clements
Discovery Arts
Term: 1998 -
Scott Anderson
Zenith Specialty Bag Co., Inc.
Tom McCoy
McCoy-Rigby Entertainment
Don Harper
Don Harper Productions
Mark Poncher
Five Currents Entertainment
Marilyn Clements
Discovery Arts
Cathy Rigby
McCoy-Rigby Entertainment
Jeromy Robert
Lenox Advisors
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes