| The Andréa Rizzo Foundation // October 2015 |
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Foundation News
Lori Baudino, Psy. D., BC-DMT Honored at ADTA
On October 23, our Los Angeles based dance therapist was honored at the
American Dance Therapy Association conference with the Exceptional Service Award 2015 for her work in educating the public about dance/movement therapy. We are very proud that The Andréa Rizzo Foundation has been able to offer Dr. Baudino the opportunity to shine with her work with pediatric cancer patients at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Through our relationship with Dancing With the Stars she has been afforded an important role in spreading the work funded by the foundation, too. Below is a link showcasing her work at Children's Hospital Los Angeles when cast members from Dancing With The Stars joined Dréa's Dream dance therapy groups at the hospital. CLICK on this link from
People.com to view this heartwarming event and interview.
An Evening with the Rockettes
The Andréa Rizzo Foundation provided tickets to Radio City's production of the Spring Spectacular with the Rockettes and Derek Hough of Dancing With The Stars for a young Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) patient. Below is a mother's note to the foundation that we wanted to share with you so that you can see how the power of dance is benefiting many at MSKCC in New York City. We are so grateful to have been able to provide such an exciting experience for this young girl.
Dear Ms. Susan Rizzo Vincent and everybody at The Andrea Rizzo Foundation,
I am writing this email to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the tickets that you gave to my daughter to see the The Rockettes, Spring Spectacular.
She enjoyed it so much and still talks about it with excitement.
We came to know The Andréa Rizzo Foundation when she was in intensive treatments at Memorial Sloan Kettering hospital in 2013. She was so happy that day when the dance therapists came and danced with the kids. She forgot every pain, nausea and everything from the everyday chemo. Now, she is still in maintenance chemotherapy.
Thanks to the Team Doctors, everybody at the hospital, every volunteer, and every dance therapist that has come and supported us. Hope she'll grow up healthy and help the kids who suffer too.
Thank you and may God bless your kind hearts.
Best wishes,
A mother of a child who is being treated at MSKCC
We had a glorious sun-filled day for our annual golf outing on October 19th at the Seawane Club in Hewlett Harbor, NY, organized by Andréa's uncle and Club Manager,
Don Mollitor. Once again, our dedicated volunteers,
Ed Kline (auctioneer for our live auction),
Regina Todd, Eileen Vogel and
Noreen Bonagura were on hand to make sure that the day ran smoothly for our faithful and generous golfers.
Representatives from the Development Office at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Kelli Klosko and
Pamela Colker, were in attendance to speak to our golfers about the impact that Dréa's Dream is having on their pediatric patients. A moment of silence was shared as we remembered one of our extremely faithful supporters, Lyle Chernoff. His friends were there to carry on Lyle's dedication to Dréa's Dream.
A fabulous breakfast buffet started off the day and lunch was served on the course. Golf Pro,
Kyle Tasselmeyer, challenged our golfers at the "Beat the Pro" station, helping to raise funds for our cause.
All participants were treated to monogrammed gifts by
Custom Monogram Shoppe of Franklin Square, NY. Special thanks to Andréa's aunt,
Jill Mollitor, for heading the committee and creating beautiful gift bags and baskets for our raffle prizes and to all those who generously donated all of the items to fill those bags and baskets.
An after-party at
Pearsall Station in Lynbrook was the perfect ending to a perfect day for our golfers who have supported this event for 14 years. We are grateful to owner, Brian Fern, for the abundance of delicious food served to our golfers.
We thank the
Seawane Club for their overwhelming generosity in giving us the use of their beautiful facility for this very special day.
Dréa's Dream Visits John Street Elementary School
Foundation President, Susan Rizzo Vincent, and Andréa's grandmother, Gloria Bitetto, were able to visit the Dréa's Dream dance therapy program at John Street Elementary School where Ms. Vincent was once a student! Jennifer Whitley, MS, R-DMT, LCAT ran a dance therapy group for children diagnosed with special needs. The group was full of energy and excitement for the opportunity to express themselves through movement! As the session ended, children were able to regulate their energy through relaxation as seen in pictures below. The foundation enjoyed the opportunity to witness such a beautiful session.
I am constantly asked how the Andréa Rizzo Foundation has grown far and wide through the efforts of a completely volunteer staff. My answer is always the same, "Dréa has sent us a "Dream Team" of angels!"
Each month we will spotlight a different volunteer to show our appreciation. There are so many compassionate and dedicated volunteers and "angels" so I will randomly choose one to introduce to you each month.
We hope you'll enjoy reading about each of these individuals as much as we love presenting them to you.
Sincerely,
Susan Rizzo-Vincent
President
Dréa's Dream Team - October Spotlight on Barbara Pomfret
Our most widespread fundraising initiative is Dance Across America®
On any given weekend throughout the year there are one or two events being planned by dance schools or dance companies to benefit The Andréa Rizzo Foundation.
Ten years ago, when we launched Dance Across America®, a dear friend, volunteer and supporter of the foundation, Barbara Pomfret, asked how she could help this effort.
There is a lot involved in preparing for each event and one of the most important jobs is keeping track of what materials are needed for the event and getting those materials to the right place at the right time. Barbara took on the full responsibility of this extensive job and also volunteered to store all of the foundation promotional materials at her home so that she would be able to oversee the inventory.
Keeping track of all upcoming events and making sure that all supplies and promotional materials get to the dancers on time is a full time job. Barbara has literally made hundreds of trips to the post office over the years!! In addition, she is a faithful volunteer on the committee for the annual celebration on the Cliff Walk in Newport, RI.
She is not only efficient at all she does, but her generosity is overwhelming. Barbara's donation to the foundation each year is to cover the cost of all of the mailings she sends out. We couldn't keep Dance Across America® running so smoothly if it wasn't for Barbara Pomfret.
Holiday Gifts and more..... We benefit too!
Gifts for the upcoming Holiday Season!
You can give a meaningful gift to the special people in your life by making a donation to The Andréa Rizzo Foundation and naming them a "Star" in your life. They will receive a beautiful certificate and letter from the foundation letting them know how much they mean to you and that their gift will help children with cancer and special needs through the power of dance in hospitals and schools nationwide! This also makes a great birthday gift as well. Andréa Rizzo Foundation "Angel" certificates can be sent in memory of those you love. Email
[email protected]
or send requests to: The Andréa Rizzo Foundation, 10 East Beach Road, Charlestown, RI 02813. Be sure to include the name and address of those who you'd like the certificate sent to.
All donations are tax deductible and no donation is too small.
Prefer to make your donations online?
And...You can raise funds for the Andréa Rizzo Foundation while online shopping at www.smile.amazon. Simply sign into your Amazon account at
www.smile.amazon.com
and click "Your Account" in the top right side of the toolbar, then click "Change Your Charity" in the scroll-down column. When prompted to select a charity, type The Andréa Rizzo Foundation and do all of your shopping for a good cause! (you only need to type in your choice of charity the first time you set this up).
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
These are two concerts you don't want to miss! Choose The Andréa Rizzo Foundation at checkout when you purchase tickets through Tix4Cause.com and you'll benefit Dréa's Dream programming. Click below to find a concert near you.
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Toni Freni is a Dance/Movement Therapist with over 25 years of professional experience. Over the course of her career she has worked with a variety of populations including pediatric oncology and hematology (pediatric blood and marrow transplant), mental health facilities (varied ages), children and adults with special needs, school settings, private practice with adults, and children who have experienced various forms of trauma and loss, including Domestic Violence Program. Currently, she is at Herbert Richardson School and The Ignazio Cruz Early Childhood Center both in the Perth Amboy, NJ school system providing the Dréa's Dream program.
Here are some snapshots of the Dance/Movement Therapy program at Herbert Richardson School where Monday morning are reminders of the power of dance, movement, the shared experiences of co-creating, expression, connection, play, energy, rhythm - ancient roots.
It begins, from the moment of the opening song, now familiar to students and teachers alike; we join together to honor all present by name, to connect in a common rhythm, gesture or phrase. The child, who rarely speaks, utters a few words in the song. The teacher who entered looking tired and distracted, smiles and laughs as she dances with her students; her shoulders visibly relax. The child, who is typically withdrawn and isolated, reaches out for a friend or a ribbon. The janitor beams as he is caught, unaware, included in the song, and acknowledged. And so it goes, for eight 30-minute sessions on this Monday, like so many others. I see faces brighten, musculature soften or strengthen, energy lift or relax, animation, organization and focus increase.
The power of dance, of movement, joining in the celebration of what we CAN do, what we can create and contribute, and the moment to moment shifts we make toward something new. A mini-journey together - uplifting.
Some of the teachers comment of the students, regarding their responses to Dance/Movement Therapy:
"She becomes more expressive..."
"He focuses better during, and after D.M.T."
"We don't hear him laugh like that too often!"
"That's the first word he's said in weeks."
"She's staying with the rhythm, she's usually focused inward."
"She was crying all morning, it's nice to see her giggle and smile now, to make eye contact."
"I didn't know he could move like that!"
As colorful ribbons, parachutes, bubbles, arms and hearts, lift and reach - I too am changed as I follow as much as lead - the twinkle in the eye, the soft wave of a small hand, I leave with a smile, with a vibration, with gratitude to do such rewarding work. The power of dance, of movement, of shared experiences, of co-creating, expression, connection...."Take life by the hand...and dance!"
Toni Freni MS, BC-DMT
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Please send us your US Mailing address if you haven't received our annual newsletter in the past
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The Andrea Rizzo Foundation
10 East Beach Road
Charlestown, RI 02813
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Join dancers across the country today and start planning your dance-a-thon, performance or any dance event of your choice - big or small - to raise money for
Dréa's Dream programming nationwide. Email:
[email protected]. We'll help you plan.
Dance Across America participants receive a plaque for their dance school as well as individual tokens of appreciation for each dancer. Your school will be featured on our website, social media sites, and our monthly newsletter.
Already have an event scheduled? Don't forget to tag us in your pictures and videos on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube using #dreasdream or #danceacrossamerica. We look forward to seeing your events on-line!
TAKE ACTION
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Dance Across America events are off to a start with one event in the Boston area. Stay tuned for more this Fall season. We look forward to seeing all of you letting your hearts move your feet this year.
September Events
On September 13 in Cambridge, MA, Kathryn Boland of The Dance Complex held a yoga event for dancers to raise funds for the foundation.
Coming up in October!
October 15
- Kingston, NY -- The 4 Seasons Dinner Club enjoyed a ladies night out and supported The Andréa Rizzo Foundation at the same time. We are so grateful to Gabby Shultis, our press correspondent, for helping this wonderful event to happen for Dréa's Dream!
#danceacrossamerica
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We thank the Rhee Gold Company for continuing to support our efforts and spreading the word of Dréa's Dream in their Dance Studio Life magazine and through DSL Dance Wire news on-line.
A portion of the proceeds from each Positive Dance Mom t-shirt goes to The Andréa Rizzo Foundation. Click below to purchase.
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The Moret Group has provided prizes for our Dance Across America pledge-raising competition each year. We are so grateful to John Debease at The Moret Group for arranging the donation of fabulous activewear for our top pledge raisers. This year's top pledge raisers will be announced in our upcoming annual newsletter that will be mailed out at the beginning of July to all of our supporters.
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Talent on Parade, a Haysville, KS based competition circuit, has GRACIOUSLY offered their sponsorship once again with $8,000 for 2015. We are lucky to have their support.
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