Hospital Programs/Instrument Donation

Being in the hospital  is difficult, especially when you are teenager or young adult. Many of our arts programs are offered for chronically ill individuals who are not currently in the hospital, but we wanted to make sure that those unable to attend our family outings or arts workshops were not left out. This lead us to look for ways to reach out to those who are in the hospital.

In October of 2010, we started Uke-Tide Holiday. This program raises ukuleles for youth who are in the hospital over the winter holidays. Ukuleles are small and easy to play. Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin was our first hospital to receive ukuleles through this program, and we hope to expand to more hospitals across the country.

In addition to ukuleles, we raise bongos throughout the year. Our most recent bongo drive, Ain’t Got No Bongos, was a partnership with the Marcus Center. Along with this fundraiser, we were able to take the touring cast of Hair to visit and sing to children in the hospital. We look to continue these small instrument collections, professional arts visitors, and in-hospital sessions as a way to make the arts accessible.