ART & CREATIVITY FOR HEALING RECEIVES $25,000 GRANT FROM THE WEINGART FOUNDATION

Recognized for its programs that address the needs of the underserved and the general community, the organization will use the grant to support all of its programs including Canyon Acres; Girls, Inc.; Human Options; Olive Crest; and Phoenix House

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA (PRWEB) August 4, 2003 - Art & Creativity for Healing, Inc., a non-profit organization that facilitates art classes and workshops for children, teens and adults suffering from illness, grief and stress, today announced that its has received a $25,000 grant from the Weingart Foundation.

We are grateful for the generous financial support Art & Creativity for Healing has received from the Weingart Foundation," said Laurie Zagon, founder/director of Art & Creativity for Healing. It is only through foundation grants, as well as ongoing support from individuals and organizations throughout the community, that we are able to facilitate free fine arts workshops on-site at hospitals, treatment centers and non-profit agencies in the Los Angeles and Orange County region."

In 2002, Art & Creativity for Healing served more than 2,000 individuals in 154 workshops, and partnered with 18 Orange County non-profit agencies including Boys and Girls Clubs, Human Options, City of Hope Cancer Center, Laguna Shanti, Mission Hospital, the Orange County Department of Education, St. Joseph Health Systems, and the Wellness Center, among others. Additionally, 80 artists, counselors, teachers, therapists, and medical professionals were trained and certified as facilitators in the organizations training program during the year.

The grant from the Weingart Foundation will be used to support all of Art & Creativity for Healings programs including workshops at Phoenix House, the nation's largest non-profit organization devoted to the treatment and prevention of substance abuse; Canyon Acres for abused children in Anaheim Hills; Olive Crest for abused children and teens in Santa Ana; Irvine-based Human Options which provides alternatives to battered woman and their children; and, Girls Inc., a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold, located in Costa Mesa. Because Art & Creativity for Healing covers all administrative costs through revenue from its teacher training programs, 100 percent of all grant money and donations is used to support Art & Creativity for Healing workshops for children, teens and adults.

The Weingart Foundation, established in 1951 by Ben and Stella Weingart, provides financial support for programs that address the needs of the under-served, and the general community. In order to qualify for a grant, organizations serving children and youth, the aged, the disabled, the homeless, the sick, that poor, or otherwise disadvantaged, as well as projects benefiting the community, must demonstrate that they are requesting funding for well-conceived programs that promise significant positive results. The Weingart Foundation also expects that all applicant organizations show substantial support from internal sources as well as outside sources.

Art & Creativity for Healing is also grateful for the generous donations it has received from The Junior League of Orange County, The Samueli Foundation, The Disneyland Resort Cast Member Awards, The Boeing Company, The Marie A. Le Doux Foundation, the 1st Thursday Art Walk of Laguna Beach and the CPC Papillion Foundation.

About Art & Creativity for Healing

Founded in 2000, Art & Creativity for Healing Inc. is a non-profit public corporation committed to helping children, teens and adults process their feelings of grief, illness or stress using the venue of painting on canvas. Art & Creativity for Healing provides free classes taught by Founder/Director Laurie Zagon and her team of highly qualified facilitators on-site at hospitals and non-profit community organizations.

Through programs offered in collaboration with more than 18 hospitals, treatment facilities and non-profit agencies, Art & Creativity for Healing has facilitated "Art for Healing" workshops for thousands of children and adults in the Southern California region since 1991. The Zagon Method of Art & Creativity for Healing was originally developed by Zagon in New York in 1987 as a workshop designed to help busy Wall Street executives deal with stress.

Zagon and Art & Creativity for Healing's Board of Directors actively raise funds throughout the year by soliciting individuals, corporations and foundations for gifts and donations. In 2003, Art &Creativity for Healing's budget is approximately $200,000 for program facilitation, art supplies, tools, personnel and administrative costs.

Art & Creativity for Healing Inc. is located at 26079 Getty Drive in Laguna Niguel, Calif. For more information, please call (949) 367-1902 or visit our Website at www.art4healing.org.

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