Past to Present

HARK Past: Where We Started 2006

In 2006, a new volunteer arrived at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’s Artists Program with passion and a love of children. What she found was a dedicated team of artists and musicians providing services under very difficult circumstances.

HARK Present: What We’ve Accomplished 2025

NOW- May through August HARK Volunteers hold painting workshops with children and families in the HBO Cafe. Every Tuesday patients from inside the hospital and outpatients as well bond through the art they make. Parents waiting for their childs surgery to finish find a way to breathe while kids waiting on appointments and test results join us for an opportunity to relax and have fun.

September through April HARK Badged Volunteers make art on the 5th floor of the hospital in the Oasis Room. These workshops are for inpatient children and families. They also have a great time while creating all kinds of fun things.

ALL YEAR-HARK Volunteers deliver over 600 units of art and music supplies every week to re-fill 12 boxes carefully placed through-out the hospital. Each box has 90 items. The nurses and staff access these boxes 24/7 and give the children paints and canvas or coloring books and crayons or whatever in the box seems appropriate. They use these items to help ease the hospital journey. This is at least 24,000 bits of joy and art and music per year!

Volunteers and sponsorships from people, foundations and companies have helped tremendously to facilitate our goal.

We have come a long way and it all began with a little red wagon . Basic insurance covers medical necessities, but art therapy, music therapy, and other creative arts and alternative therapies are not paid for. This is why HARK is here at CHLA.