August 23, 2021
Dear Friends,

What an enriching summer it has been at Arts for the Aging. We are eager for the day when we can fully resume artful caregiving in-person. Meanwhile, virtual programs remain strong, including 175 multidisciplinary arts workshops conducted so far this year.
 
Continuing partnerships with the Smithsonian Institution and The Phillips Collection energize us, new partnerships with the University of Florida Jacksonville and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and conversations with the National Symphony Orchestra and Washington Ballet validate us. Participation in the National Organization for Arts in Health (NOAH) fall awards program this October promises much more to come.
 
None of this would be possible without a vibrant community of supporters – thank you! We are thrilled to report that our Summer Campaign raised $36,450. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of those donors recognized at the end of this email.
 
We are excited to welcome program and communications intern Lenique Huggins to the team, joining us throughout her gap year before medical school. Read on for more about the unique contributions Lenique is making to our work.
 
As we near the closing of this summer season, Arts for the Aging is full of hope for the future. We also recognize the continuing toll that racial, economic, and health disparities take on our communities and global populations. These feelings were captured poignantly in a recent workshop poem and artwork shared below.
 
Thank you for standing by us on this journey and ensuring our work continues.

Be safe. Be kind. Be well.

Janine Tursini
Director & CEO
P.S. -- We're proud to sponsor the Quicksilver Senior Dance Company. Watch a video of their latest performance here!
Photos above from L-R: Intergenerational workshop with Alexandria Adult Day Health Care Center and Episcopal High School. Teaching artists and board members join seniors in a tango workshop with Downtown Clusters Geriatric Day Care Center. Archival photos by Stephanie Williams Images.
Reaching In: A Workshop Poem
Devouring life.
Our lives going off the rails is one of the best things that can happen to us.
Our fate unknown again and again.
Opening and closing and opening.
Enjoying the wait.
Vines around my heart.
Growing within, always growing.
Gnarled branches reaching up, and out, and down.
The dark soil singing soft songs in notes of purple, pink, and gold.
How I cherished the summer days, living in the moment.
Reaching for a peach in the paper bag,
I wished your hand would be there.
Branches bearing heavy gardens, let me be your cover crop.
I’ve seen heartache, disappointment, transgressions.
What?
How?
Who?
Comes out of this.
Poem by Arts for the Aging teaching artists and staff in response to the pandemic. Artwork by Arts for the Aging teaching artists, caregivers, and participants with the Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Center under the guidance of teaching artist Marcie Wolf-Hubbard; in response to a prompt illustrating a quote from the Talmud, “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief … You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
Advancing Our Team
Arts for the Aging is happy to welcome Lenique Huggins, who joins our team as Program and Communications Intern. A graduate of Duke University in Biology, Lenique is passionate about arts education and interested in the intersection of arts and health, particularly for minority groups and older adults. Her research has focused on dementia, aging, and health disparities, and her artwork is displayed at the Duke Aging Center. Lenique enjoys dancing, singing, repping her Caribbean culture, and laughing with her friends and family.
News Roundup



Summer Campaign Donors - Thank You!
Facilitator - $10,000 to $14,999 
Stephen & Jeanette Bruce

Collaborator - $5,000 to $9,999 
Susan Richardson, Don Wright & Lezley McIlveen 
 
Sustainer - $1,000 to $4,999 
Don & Nancy Bliss, Joan Gervino, Ankur Patel, Melanie Jarratt Wolfe & Doug Wolfe, Ralph & Bonnie Tursini
 
Underwriter - $500 to $999 
Nicole Alfandre Halbreiner, Nathan Billig & Gail Weinmann, Richard Dana, Wilson Felder, Deborah Riley, Annie Simonian Totah, Janine Tursini
 
Booster - $250 to $499 
Jeffrey Burroughs, Nancy & Richard Havlik, Elaine Kotel Binder, Philip Ruppe, Elinor Ginzler, Marni Myers, Kyle Roche, Gloria Buckberg 
 
Engager - $100 to $249 
Bill Apter & Marilyn Millstone, Kathy Borrus, Valarie Clark, Susan Coco, Fred Ezra, Craig & Shari Fishman, Wendy & William Garner, Kay Glenday, Matthew Hastings, James Huckenphaler, Sara Kane, Sasha Kay, Kay Murphy, S. Alexandra Russell, Heller An Shapiro, Emily Winchatz, Sarah & Walter Gorman, Roberta Liebman, Mary Lou Melley, Timothy Thomas, Michael & Nan Whitehurst
 
Enthusiast - up to $99
Karen Akers, Taylor Aldredge, Amazon Smile, Ranga Attapatu, Raymond & Vivian Bass, Nadia Batcha, Jennifer Bell, Benevity Cause, Meredith Bradley Jenkins, Ruth Bryan, Kevin Bryan & Rosie MacInnes, Jennifer Campbell, Michael Chodos, Paula Cleggett, Lenore Dustin, Roberta Geier, Stephanie Hanson, Myrtle Harrod, Kenneth Hughley, Nazan Kirdar, Carolyn Laurenzano & Tony Morrell, James & Phyllis Madachy, Jenean McKay, Stephanie Ogden, Carla Perlo, Kyle Roche, Peg Schaefer, Miles Spicer, Sherry Sundick, Bob Wittig
Invest with Confidence
Member Class of 20/21
Catalogue for Philanthropy
Our Mission
Since 1988, Arts for the Aging has engaged older adults and caregivers in health improvement and life enhancement through regular participation in multi-disciplinary, therapeutic group-arts programs which take place in partnership with professional artists, community and residential care settings, museums, and cultural institutions.