| The Andréa Rizzo Foundation // February 2016 |
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Foundation News
Want to understand how
Dréa's Dream impacts pediatric cancer patients?
The
Andréa Rizzo Foundation brought Dréa's Dream to
Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA in 2008. The program has grown and caught the attention of many of the staff.
Justin Stephens, Pediatric Dept., Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA gave of his time and effort to produce this wonderful video of our dance therapist,
Dr. Lori Baudino, Psy. D., BC-DMT. Click this
link to better understand what your support means to so many fragile children.
Thanks to all who donated for HOLIDAY LOTTO! We were able to raise approximately $1200 for the foundation. Michael Battaglia won Gift Box #1 (Made In Mayhem Leather key holder), Beckie Whitley won Gift Box #2 (Mussels Tree Photo Frame), and Thelma Goldberg won Gift Box #3 (UGG Boots)! Congrats to all.
NEED A LAST MINUTE GIFT FOR VALENTINE'S DAY?
You can raise funds for the Andréa Rizzo Foundation while online shopping at smile.amazon. Simply sign into your Amazon account at 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.
Dréa's Dream Team
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 you to 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 - No
vember Spotlight on
Rhee Gold
Many of you may recognize the name of the Rhee Gold Company. But you may not know the person - Rhee Gold. I do believe there is no coincidence that his name is a perfect match for his personality - as he truly has a heart of GOLD.
In 2005 when the Rhee Gold Company's magazine, Dance Studio Life was a fledgling among national dance magazines, their staff contacted me and an interview about Dréa's Dream followed. The result was a 5 page spread with photos and a truly heartfelt piece about the work we do for children with cancer and special needs through the power of Dréa's Dream dance therapy programming.
Shortly after, I had the honor of meeting Rhee Gold himself at a Unity of America's Dance Organizations, Inc. meeting, of which he is the founder. It was clear that everyone attending that day had immense respect for Rhee, myself included. I did a little research and I quickly learned about Rhee's long and illustrious career in dance and his many affiliations with dancers worldwide. Rhee Gold was clearly at the heart of the dance world.
Following that meeting, Rhee offered and planned an on camera interview at my home so that I could share the story of Dréa's Dream and he would hence share it with the dance world. He graciously displayed that video interview on his newly created DanceLife TV site and the number of dance schools that were touched and moved to support us grew exponentially.
The following year, I received a phone call from Rhee with the news that I would be receiving a "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the DanceLife Conference held in Orlando, FL that summer. Needless to say, I was filled with gratitude for this man who gave me the opportunity to speak in front of over 750 dance teachers from all over the country and receive an honor that held so much meaning for me and the Andréa Rizzo Foundation. As the video of our interview played at this prestigious event, both Rhee and I knew that Dréa's Dream would touch the hearts of dance teachers, dance directors and dancers young and old. It brought the Andréa Rizzo Foundation a flood of support from dance schools who wanted to raise funds through dance events for Dréa's Dream pediatric dance therapy programming, nationwide, through our Dance Across America fundraising initiative.
Rhee then went a step further. He wanted to see Dréa's Dream in action for himself and so he took his DanceLife TV crew to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, CT where he videoed our Connecticut based dance therapist, Sharon Mulcahy, R-DMT. Not only did Rhee's video, "A Dream Worth Holding On To" captured the magic of dance and it's impact on a very young cancer patient, but it also shone a light on the pediatric cancer experience for a parent - in this case a young father. Click here and your heart will be touched by Rhee's sensitivity, confirming his "heart of gold."
As of this date, Rhee's efforts to bring The Andréa Rizzo Foundation into the dancer's spotlight has brought over $300,000 in support from dancers who have been touched by our cause and now participate in our Dance Across America events - because of Rhee Gold. As if that wasn't enough, he launched a fundraiser himself - donating a portion of the proceeds from all of his "Dance Mom"
t-shirt sales each year.
Rhee has been the driving force behind the expansion of Dréa's Dream over the last several years and because of his graciousness in offering me the chance to speak at his DanceLife Retreat Center in Norton, Massachusetts, we have built a strong base of support in MA and will soon be bringing dance therapy to a major children's hospital in Boston.
Thank you, Rhee Gold, for being the generous, caring and compassionate person that you are. You have made a difference in the lives of so many fragile children and you remain very close to the heart of the Andréa Rizzo Foundation.
These are two concerts you don't want to miss! Choose The Andréa Rizzo Foundationat 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 has made her mark at two wonderful schools in New Jersey, Igancio Cruz Early Childhood Learning Center and Dr. Herbert N. Richardson 21st Century School. We thought sharing teacher quotes this month in honor of the Ronald McDonald House grant we just received to increase programming in Perth Amboy, NJ schools would help you see all the wonderful work this grant and this dance therapist are doing. Enjoy!
Ignacio Cruz Early Childhood Learning Center
- February 2014
Mrs. "D." - Teacher
"Dance Therapy helps the children socially. It increases their peer interaction & helps them developmentally & with muscle tone."
Mrs. "L." - (para)
"With Dance Therapy, the children get perky and more attentive."
"You can see the excitement in their faces. It's very encouraging."
"They are then more involved in the classroom."
Mrs. Marybeth
"Shy children participate more openly & freely. At times, it has a nice, calming effect."
Mrs. Joanne
"They stay more focused."
Ms. Heather
"The children seem more open in Dance Therapy and stronger in their movements. They become more expressive."
Mrs. Dianne
"Dance Therapy exposes the children to different types of music. It engages them without bells & whistles! They become more playful & more social."
Dr. Herbert N. Richardson 21st Century School
- February 2014
Ms. McDonald
"...Fosters teamwork, cooperation & following directions. There's a lot of excitement for Dance Therapy sessions."
Ms. Emily
"...Allows for such positive and appropriate socializing behaviors for the students."
Ms. Dasa
"Throughout the past 2 years, I have seen improvements in my students from session to session. What used to be tears in my classroom turned into smiles & singing."
Mrs. "M."
"Students are excited to go to dance therapy. Dance Therapy helps the students listen while they control the movement of their bodies."
Mrs. "E."
"The Andrea Rizzo Foundation has been a significant part of our students' ability to express themselves through music & movement while incorporating direction, social interaction, while having fun and being motivated. Ms. Toni has a wonderful rapport with our students."
Toni L. Freni, BC-DMT
Dance/Movement Therapist
Perth Amboy, NJ Schools
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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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2015 proved to be a solid year bringing in approximately $60,000 dollars through the Dance Across America campaign. Without you and your hard work, we couldn't be in the number of hospitals, schools, and medical centers that we have been a part of, and we can't thank you enough. Be sure to mark your calendar to stay tuned for a 2016 Dance Across America event in your area.
Take a look at who helped us round out 2015 with events in December and who helped us kickstart our 2016 off with a bang!
December Events
On December 6, Issaquah Dance Theatre held a fundraiser in Issaquah, Washington.
Dec 11 - Salve Regina University Dance Club once again held a dance performance titled "Emergency"
at the Rodgers Recreation Center on the Salve Regina campus.
December 12 - Expressions Dance and Movement Center in Santee, CA not only donated the proceeds from their November, Black Friday Dance Camp, but also held a raffle and bake sale at their Winter Recital this season.
December 13 - Higher Ground Dance Company at Purdue University held their annual benefit performance at the Loeb Theater. It was wonderful to have their support again for another year.
January Events
January 23 - Thank you to "A Time to Dance" dancers in Surprise, AZ for holding a Dance Across America event to support Dréa's Dream. They also created beautiful cards for our patients who benefit from pediatric dance therapy. So very sweet!!! Thank you for letting your hearts move your feet!!
January 30 - Live Love Dance held their third dance-a-thon in Broomfield, CO with a day of a variety of dance classes at their studio. We have appreciated their continued support over the years.
Rye Brook High School Dance Team in Rye Brook, NY continues to collect donations during half-time performances at their sports events throughout the winter season!
Coming up in February!
February 7 - Pazzaz Performers in St. Louis, MO continue to support Dréa' Dream in so many ways. These compassionate dancers will come together once again for their annual dance-a-thon!
February 28 -
Spotlight Dance Studio in Taunton, MA, will lead, for the second consecutive year, a Dance Across America performance along with
On The Barre
dance studio from Norton, MA. The venue is Benjamin A. Friedman Middle School 500 Norton Ave Taunton, MA.
Katie Jackson is coordinating the event and can be reached
at
[email protected]
or at Spotlight
508 880 5079.
This event is open to the public. Tickets are a $10 donation and can be purchased at either studio or at the door. Their
concessions will provide 100% of the profits going to the foundation.
#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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