About Us

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About Us

Mission Statement: Picture Me Happy aspires to stimulate, support and promote the healing process for the under-served hospitalized children and teens in Southern California, whose lives are harshly disrupted with chronic and often terminal illness. Every week we bring various hands-on creative and educational workshops, led by field professionals and trained volunteers, free of charge to these children.

THE PICTURE ME HAPPY PHILOSOPHY
Creativity is an essential element in accessing self expression. The ability to self express promotes a sense of well being and enhances healing at various levels. Being immersed in the creative process provides a necessary diversion away from illness and toward the healing power within.

PICTURE ME HAPPY AT WORK

Picture Me Happy engages hospitalized children in the creative process by introducing them to the Instamatic camera and inspiring them to set up their own photo shoots.

As they set the scene for their shoot, Picture Me Happy passionately opens childrens' minds and imaginations to the abundance of people, props, backgrounds, scenes, angles and stories that are available to them within the hospital. "We give very little instruction, but, offer a lot of ideas and options to help stimulate their own personal creativity." At a time when illness is controlling their lives, Picture Me Happy encourages a child to take complete charge and ownership of their creativity...they are "the Photographers," they are, "the designers and creators of their magazines."

Picture Me Happy's “hands-on photo workshop,” transforms the child and their environment . Cameras clicking, smiles widening, creativity expanding, brightness fills the room as the child brings focus into the creative process, the moment, and away from illness.

Following the photo shoots, each child paste their photos onto colored construction paper to begin creating their own personal "magazine". The children choose from an assortment of magic markers, stickers, and ribbons to further the process of design and creativity. Many of the children love to enhance their magazines by including titles for their magazines and sub-titles to accompany their newly treasured photos. In addition to this, an even deeper insight to the child's feelings of struggle through their illness is presented through a written story.
For the children and their families this personal life journal of photographs and writings is priceless.

PICTURE ME HAPPY IN DEVELOPMENT, 2013

From ages ten to eight-teen, children who spend much if not all their lives in the hospital experience extreme depression (if you can imagine), along with the serious illnesses they are desperate for hope, self-esteem and some normal participation in life. In an a helpful solution, Picture Me Happy is adding three new creative/educational programs targeted especially in supporting and improving their physical and mental well being.

1. NEW: Photography workshops, instructed by local volunteer professional photographers.

2. NEW: "Picture Me Happy children's page" In collaboration with a local magazine's editor & creative director, the children will create, design, write and shoot photographs.

3. NEW: Film: Volunteer film directors, producers, camera men and others to educate and collaborate in making their own commercials, ads and short films.

Letter from Miller Children's Hospital

To Whom It May Concern,

We are writing this letter in support of the program “Picture Me Happy”. They have been a wonderful addition to our special visitors program. Since they began coming to our hospital, they have enhanced the lives of many of our patients and families.

There are many things that are wonderful about the “Picture Me Happy” program. One of the best things is that they provide the children with many choices and a sense of control. While in the hospital, the children aren’t able to make many choices and can feel like their life is out of control. When “Picture Me Happy” is there, the children get to choose if they participate or not, and choose who, what and where they take their pictures. Finally, they get to choose how they put their pictures together into a scrapbook. This allows them to be creative and control their finished product. We have seen children from toddlers to teenagers participate in this program with gusto. Some of the older kids put a lot of thought into creating backdrops, and taking very specific pictures.

Another wonderful thing about this program is that it encourages patients, their parent, and siblings to work together and helps create memories, and encourages their familiar bond, which can be stressed while the child is hospitalized. Many of the kids take pictures of various family members, and usually want their parent(s) to help them with moving around the unit to choose their photo subjects.

Also, this program is helpful in helping the children become more familiar with the hospital environment, and also helping them become the teachers to siblings and family members about the hospital. We have seen children taking pictures of various medical equipment, including their IV poles, blood pressure machines, and the nurses’ station. Then, once they take their scrapbooks home, they can show them to their families and teach them about the function of the various items.

Finally, “Picture Me Happy” is wonderful because it is different and just plain fun! They are the only program I have seen that allows the patients to use a camera and take photos of whatever they want by themselves. The patients and families always have an excellent time when “Picture Me Happy” comes to visit. Some of the patients have participated with them numerous times throughout different hospitalizations, and always get excited when we tell them that “Picture Me Happy” is coming!

Thank you so much for your time, and hopefully you will support this fantastic program which has been a wonderful support to our patients and their families.

Allison Singhi BA CCLS Rose Mills BA CLS

(562) 933-8613 (562) 933-8613

2801 Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, CA 90806

(562) 933-KIDS | (562) 933-5437