Connecticut Children’s Rolls Out New Mobile Art Therapy Cart for Teens & Young Adults

Hartford, Conn.- Teenagers and young adults fighting cancer and other illness at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center now have access to a brand new arts and crafts cart that will play an important role during their lengthy hospital stays.

Connecticut Children’s recently debuted a new mobile arts and crafts cart, called “Alicia’s Art Cart” that is filled with paint, clay, adult coloring books, duct tape, glue and other artistic materials provided by A.C. Moore. The cart was a gift from the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation, an organization that works to empower hospitalized teenagers with social events and activities.

“The level of care Connecticut Children’s provides to the teens is something we value and support,” said ARVF Co-Founder and Executive Director, Gisele DiNatale. “We are so proud to have Alicia’s Art Cart at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center!”

“We are so excited to bring Alicia’s Art Cart to the young patients at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center—our first in the state of Connecticut!” said Pepe Piperno, owner & CEO of A.C. Moore. “We hope the arts and crafts activities on the art cart will inspire teens battling illnesses and provide a creative escape during long hospital stays.”

“Therapeutic art is just one way children are able to express themselves during a difficult time,” said Kelly Foy, Child Life Specialist at Connecticut Children’s. “This creative outlet allows them to process their feelings about their illness while also giving them a wonderful distraction during their hospital stay.”

In her 4 years at the Medical Center, Foy has seen the positive effects of therapeutic art firsthand, noting that even skeptical children come to love it. “Most people associate a children’s hospital with younger kids, but it’s important to remember our adolescents and young adults,” said Foy. “They need access to age appropriate resources, including activities and projects like those found on the cart.”

Dave Kinahan, the President of Connecticut Children’s Foundation, echoed Foy’s praise of therapeutic art, suggesting it helps create a positive environment in which children can heal.

“Therapeutic art is an important component of the work that we do for our kids,” he said. “We work hard to empower our patients to have a voice and play an active role in their own healing.”

Kinahan made note of the hospital’s adolescent and young adult advisory team that is made up of current and former patients who each helped with the selection of materials for the cart. They play an active role in making sure the hospital experience is the best it can be and consistently offer ideas and feedback that often result in real-time improvements.

“We are thankful for this life changing donation by the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation and look forward to the smiles it will put on patient’s faces every single day,” said Kinahan.