Wellness Works

Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health, ART from the ashes and California School Health Centers Association's second annual Wellness Works benefit art exhibition

2013 honoree: Mark Ridley-Thomas

 The second annual Wellness Works Program will encompass a 3-day art exhibition at the historic Pico House. The show will feature artwork created by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) students and LA-based professional artists.  These donated works will incorporate materials reclaimed from school-based Wellness Center renovation sites. 

By June 2014, 12 of 14 new Wellness Centers will have opened on LAUSD school campuses, offering preventative physical, mental and oral heath care to both the students and the community members in areas where there are high rates of poverty and uninsured families.  They will provide more than 65,000 healthcare visits annually to students and through school-linked programs and partnerships.

This year’s program will showcase strong LAUSD student involvement: a student poster exhibit, docent led tours of the Wellness Works Exhibition; and a special student art installation inspired by the LAUSD’s “take down the fences” integration initiative.  On 15 campuses in inner city Los Angeles, 2000 special education students are separated by a fence from general education students. The LAUSD is working to “take down the fences” – both literally and figuratively.  Thirty-two special education and general education students will collaborate on art that will be shown collectively at the Wellness Works Exhibition. The art will be hung on a chain link fence wall.  As pieces sell, the wall comes down. 

The Los Angeles Trust for Childrenʼs Health, ART from the ashes, and the California School Health Centers Association have partnered together to form Wellness Works because of a common interest in creating a school environment that nurtures healthy children & successful students. As the birthplace of Los Angeles, El Pueblo Historical Monument provides an inspired setting for the three-day program

This program was made possible through a generous grant from CVS Caremark All Kids Can and support from the City of Los Angeles, El Pueblo Historic Monument.