HAI’s Founder Reflects

One Step Back, Several Steps Forward

We have experienced a setback as a result of a New York State legislature funding reduction to a group of mental health programs in NYC, including HAI. Perhaps due to grassroots protests of mental health consumers, the initial proposed cut to HAI has been subsequently reduced. We are now exploring several actions to minimize the impact of this reduction, in order to continue to ably serve New Yorkers in need of Hope And Inspiration through the Arts.

On the other hand, this is also a time of stepping forward. HAI continues to expand its website to include new services and interactive capabilities. We have added Google SiteSearch, which allows users to search our website by keyword. To test this tool, I typed in the words "multiple personalities," and in a split (no pun intended) second it displayed the page of the monograph "Live Arts Experiences" that discusses the impact of the arts as reflected by studies of multiple personalities.

In terms of services, HAI has been approved again as a vendor in public schools, through a third contract with the NYC Department of Education. A wider scope of services is now available, all aimed to provide students and staff with the ability to cope with an array of societal problems, and to heal, grow and learn through the arts. For more information, please visit http://www.hospaud/org/hai/DOE/index.htm

To help generate revenues for our work, we have now a Group Sales Ticket Program, extending HAI group ticketing services to the general public, including civic groups, tourists, conventions and more. These services were previously available only to HAI participants.

On a historic note, we have added a new section to our website devoted to the composer Serge Prokofieff and the 20th anniversary of HAI’s benefit concert commemorating the premier of "Peter and the Wolf."

 

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Newsletter - Winter 2006