Recovering from a traumatic injury is not merely a physical journey, but requires healing from mental and emotional trauma as well. Artists for Trauma, a Marina Del Rey non-profit, believes there is a better way to expedite that healing, and it is partnering with Topanga Terrace Rehabilitation & Subacute in Canoga Park to help accelerate patients’ recovery through artistic expression. Laura Sharpe founded the trauma group in 2012, four years after she was in a helicopter crash that burned 40 percent of her body and broke 43 bones. During a vacation with her family in 2008, Sharpe boarded a 14-minute flight to Catalina. The aircraft malfunctioned and lost power, falling more than 300 feet to the ground. Of the six passengers aboard, three died. Sharpe endured years of recovery, during which time she had to get multiple skin grafts, nearly lost her left eye and had part of her left foot amputated. “During recovery I found that I was no longer who I was before – not physically, mentally or emotionally. But through artistic engagement that platform allowed me a distraction from the disfigurement so I could rise above it,” she said. Her group has now served nearly two dozen trauma victims nationwide and is working with other organizations in the greater Los Angeles area to serve more patients. Artists for Trauma plans to hold workshops at Topanga Terrace every other month. The rehabilitation center, founded in the early 1970s, offers round-the-clock care to West Valley patients who have been discharged from the hospital and are in need of services after strokes, heart attacks, orthopedic surgery and other conditions. On April 16 the two organizations will hold a flower-arrangement workshop at the 22125 Roscoe Blvd. center. Real flowers and vases will be provided by the trauma group, and some 20 to 30 patients are expected to participate in making arrangements for their personal use. This will be the second of six workshops hosted by Artists for Trauma at the rehab center this year. The organization has offered a variety of artistic workshops in the past including painting, sculpting and music therapy for a handful of for-profit and non-profit organizations. “These workshops are offering an alternative form of healing and an opportunity to develop an interest in a new recreational activity,” said Surena Boyce, vice president of business development for Health Quality Management Group, which operates Topanga Terrace. At the first workshop in February, Artists for Trauma volunteers provided a variety of paint supplies for patients to draw to the best of their ability, as well as drinks and snacks – for which the organization spent no more than $300 to $500. “Our goal is to find ways to really enhance their healing and their life, and try to get them back to their prior condition,” Boyce said. Colorful Donation As part of its annual corporate giving campaign, Farmers Insurance Group led a repair and restoration campaign at Canoga Park Elementary School. More than 50 volunteers from the company’s headquarters in Woodland Hills donated nine hours of time to paint murals, build benches and work on other restoration projects. The property casualty insurer also donated $1,500 in supplies for paint and brushes for the murals and the supplies used to build the benches. The volunteers painted a total of four murals on beige-colored walls within the school, three of which were inspired by Dr. Seuss books. Another depicted insects and flowers. After assembly, the two benches were painted bright blue and yellow. “The (volunteers) especially enjoyed when the children stopped by to say thank you,” said Doris Dunn, director of community relations for Farmers. “I got a stack of thank you notes from every classroom thanking me for the murals and saying which were their favorites.” Lots of Giving Safe Passage, a Valley non-profit dedicated to helping abused women and children find shelter and navigate the workforce, received a $20,000 donation from the Simply Wine Fest charity event hosted by CBS Studios March 21. … The Old Town Camarillo Association, a non-profit organization which seeks to preserve the neighborhood’s economic vitality and reputation, donated $1,000 to The Boys & Girls Club of Camarillo March 11. … The Glendale Police Department received a $1,600 donation from Glendale Adventist Medical Center in February to purchase life-saving tourniquets. Approximately 150 police vehicle trauma bags will be equipped with the tourniquets this year. Staff Reporter Champaign Williams can be reached at (818) 316-3121 or [email protected].
