TRACYS KIDS INC
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Mission Statement
Tracy's Kids provides Art Therapy to children with cancer to help them and their families cope with the psychological toll imposed by the disease and its treatment.
About This Cause
Tracy’s Kids uses art therapy to engage with young patients, their siblings and parents so that they can express feelings and process their difficult treatment experiences. The program – which began at the Georgetown's Lombardi Cancer Center in 1991 and is based on the model developed there – employs Master’s trained, Board Certified art therapists to address the multi-faceted needs of children with cancer through art and play therapy. Tracy’s Kids currently operates in seven hospitals and clinics, in the Washington, DC area as well as Baltimore, San Antonio and New York City. We serve thousands of families each year. When children are diagnosed with cancer, they are treated aggressively. Their treatment can be both long and intense. In most cases, their emotional well-being takes a back seat to the important task of beating the disease. A sick child changes the family dynamics and can cause psychological issues for all – the young patient, siblings, or parents, as well as the family unit as a whole. Using art to identify emotions and feelings, whether conscious or subconscious, patients and their families are empowered by Master’s-trained professionals to process and discuss the difficult experiences and feelings that come along with cancer. Today, 80% of children diagnosed with cancer will beat the disease and live the overwhelming majority of their lives cancer free. Tracy’s Kids is dedicated to helping to ensure that the children we serve are ready to live happy and fulfilling lives. As one parent of a 2-year-old patient recently wrote, “Tracy’s Kids is a refuge and needed distraction for families absorbing a flood of emotions. In helping us navigate this traumatic period, you instilled invaluable coping skills and resilience that will remain with us well into the future.” Tracy’s Kids is a careful steward of the funds it receives; a high proportion of all expenditures go directly to program services. The Catalogue for Philanthropy selected Tracy’s Kids as one of the best community-based charities in the Greater Washington, DC area.