 |
|
Our Programs
|
| |
|
Angelica hosts an annual “Sweetheart Ball,” a Valentine’s Day party, at both Coler and Goldwater Hospitals. Patients and residents dress up for the festivities and enjoy dinner, dancing and music spun by a DJ. This interactive community event includes singing, dancing and love poetry contests. The highlight of the night is the crowning of the Queen and King of the Ball. Raffles and dance contests offer opportunities for attendees to show off their talents and leave with wonderful prizes. Guests leave with a photo remembrance and gift bag full of sweets and Valentine trinkets.
Other annual events include a Summer Carnival and Harvest Celebration. We have also participated in the annual Reelabilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival, a film festival that has screened a number of movies in the Goldwater Auditorium.
Angelica has also hosted an end-of-summer barbeque picnic for the patients and residents, right on the riverfront grounds of Roosevelt Island. Another special event was a cabaret night hosted by Maggie Mistal, a career consultant, radio host and television commentator.
Live Out Loud is an innovative and collaborative program that brings performing arts groups from local high schools and arts groups to both Coler and Goldwater. We started boldly with the Lady Cavaliers, an all female theatrical group that brought swashbuckling with a twist to the stage of the Goldwater Auditorium.
The American Tap Dance Foundation’s Tap City Youth Ensemble continues to perform at both Goldwater and Coler Hospitals. Patients of all ages enjoy the rhythm, dance form and exuberance of the young performers. Moore Catholic High School brought over 45 students to perform the all-time favorite musical “Guys and Dolls", complete with gangsters, hot box dancers and save-a-soul missionaries. Other Live Out Loud performances include gospel music presented by the Brooklyn High School Chorus and an annual Christmas pageant given by the Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School.
Spa & Beauty Day is an idea that came from our patient/resident committees. We held our first Spa Day at Goldwater Hospital in the fall of 2009. Makeup artists, hairdressers, manicurist, a masseuse and Reike specialist volunteered their time to give the patients a special treat. Over 80 patients had one or more treatments and enjoyed fruit smoothies and relaxing music. A new committee has formed to plan and execute more Spa Days at both hospitals.
In 2009, we purchased a karaoke machine for Coler Hospital and one for Goldwater Hospital. A weekly karaoke session now takes place at each campus. A very devoted group of patients look forward to practicing and honing their singing skills each week -- sometimes it even gets competitive! This program was in response to repeated requests from our patient committees.
|
Chess Club, Photography Club & Book Club
|
Special interest groups for people who enjoy different pasttimes have been formed to provide outlets for creativity, learning and friendly competition. For creative types, we started a photography club. Digital cameras were purchased so the participants can practice and improve their skills. A book club at each campus was launched with a book from Oprah's Book Club, "Say You're One of Them." And we purchased chess boards, pieces and timers for the chess club (see some of the chess players above).
The Angelica Hip Hop Program encourages patients to compose lyrics and express themselves through music, culminating in the production of a Hip Hop album. This program is aimed at younger patients, some of whom arrive at the hospital due to gang violence and drug abuse. Weekly meetings provide an opportunity for patients to tap into their creativity and express themselves through culturally relevant music and songwriting.
Angelica has been pleased to provide art supplies for the Coler Art Studio. A number of patients are very artistic and enjoy participating in art programs, so the studio needs large quantities of paint, canvases and supplies. The fruits of many patients’ labor are displayed at an annual art show in the Coler Auditorium and at the non-profit Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association Gallery.
With a recreational therapist at the wheel, our Duet Bicycle Program allows wheelchair-bound patients to enjoy an exhilarating bicycle ride around Roosevelt Island. This activity gives patients the opportunity to spend time outside the confines of the hospital and enjoy the outdoors, especially the beautiful views of Manhattan and the surrounding areas. Angelica purchased one bicycle that was shared by both hospitals; high demand led us to purchase a second bicycle so that each campus would have one and patients would be able to go for a ride more often.
This program teaches good nutrition and healthy cooking to a group of patients aged 60 and older. Focused on reducing the impact of dementia, Healthy Starts also includes light exercise instruction to stimulate the senses and improve cognition. The program has become quite popular, in large part because the patients enjoy an opportunity to taste food that is different from the regular hospital fare.
Angelica funded a 180-gallon aquarium for the day room in the dementia unit at Coler Hospital. The aquarium has provided a new, shared experience that engages the creativity and imagination of the patients while providing a soothing and nurturing environment.
Angelica funded the rehabilitation of a centrally located garden for use by the patients and residents. For those patients with limited mobility, Angelica purchased carts that enable recreational therapists to bring gardening tools, plants, vegetables and flowers directly to the patients’ bedside.
| AmEx / Angelica Meditation Garden |
In the summer of 2008, we funded the creation of a Meditation Garden for patients to enjoy during the warmer months. In creating the Meditation Garden, we partnered with 60 extraordinarily generous volunteers from American Express Corporation, which committed three work 'volunteer' days to create the garden. The new space is perfect for communing with nature, watching and caring for the gardens and experiencing multiple sensory experiences. Vegetables and herbs grown in the garden are used in the weekly Healthy Starts cooking program.
|
|
|
