What We Do
Empower
Bring Joy
Inspire
Our Mission
The mission of “Dances With Wood” is to provide children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses with programs that help heal the body by strengthening the immune system.
We believe creativity and artistic empowerment helps to alleviate the fear of cancer by healing the spirit, providing hope, and strengthening the will to live.
GAME ON - The Vision
GAME ON is an inspiratonal book about overcoming the emotonal and psychological challenges of cancer.
The Mirror
Dances With Wood is the only program of its kind that uses building with wood and art to give seriously ill children in hospital a way to express their true, innermost soul beauty.
This beauty is often hidden by the ravages of cancer and chemotherapy on their physical presence. What they build with their hands, hearts and creatvity becomes "the Mirror" in which the children and families can clearly see that soul beauty.
The Secret
What is the secret to how the Dances With Wood program strengthens and empowers the immune system to help heal body and spirit?
Imagine the athlete who just won a gold medal at the Olympics with tears of joy running down his/her cheeks. Given that our emotions affect our immune system, now imagine how these positive emotions empowered the athlete’s immune system.
A few years ago, I worked with a 10-year-old boy in the hospital who was going through a challenging time with chemo. Despite mouth sores, hair loss and vomiting, he wanted to build a wooden ship. I sat quietly beside him as he built and painted his beautiful ship specially designed by DWW for children in hospital settings.
When the ship was finished, we both sat quietly gazing at his amazing workmanship. From the corner of my eye I noticed that he was shaking his head from side to side. He turned to look at me, as I turned to look at him. Rolling down his cheeks were large tears of joy. Then he spoke. “Woody, I didn’t know I could do that!”
This was his Olympic-gold-medal emotional experience! He was inspired, empowered and every cell in his body came alive with health. His immune system pulsed with vitality, and there was no sign of fear or anxiety
Time and again, the Dances With Wood program takes children on a magical and creative journey into themselves where they discover health, wholeness and empowerment.
The beautiful wood project becomes their gold medal, a lasting symbol of their inner power and creative beauty.
This is the secret of how the Dances With Wood program strengthens and empowers the immune system, which helps to heal the body and spirit.
If you have questions or require more information, please email or phone:
Robert W H Wilkins “Woody”
Executive Director/Founder
Woody@danceswithwood.org
Tel: 860-304-6350
Testimonials
“The Dances with Wood projects bring happiness and comfort to our patients. These fun activities continuously brighten our kids’ days in a special way.”
Memorial Sloan Kettering Kids
“This remarkable program has had a significant impact upon the hospital experience of thousands of pediatric patients, families and staff. It has made an enormous difference in the lives of critically and chronically ill inpatients and outpatients.”
Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital
We Serve Over 42 Hospitals Around the Country
We've been helping children and adults across the country for over 22 years.
We need your help!
Hospitals do not have funding!
"The hospital provides a limited budget for arts and crafts. If not for the generosity of Dances WIth Wood we would not have this program form our patients."
"There currently is no funding available to support this program. I hope that through continued financial support we will be able to provide this unique, therapeutic and much needed program for our children in the coming years."
"In the context of declining philanthropy in our department, we do not have funding to support the DWW program."
"Our program is 100% philanthropically funded and we receive no funding to purchase supplies, kits, etc. We rely heavily from people and organizations like DWW."
Because the only funding we receive is through our generous donors, we ask that you make a donation today or consider providing a grant or becoming a sponsor.
Please help us continue our work of bringing joy and empowerment to seriously ill children and adults in hospitals throughout the country.
On behalf of all the children and adults we serve, who are battling serious illness, we send you and your loved ones our heart-felt thanks.