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PLAINS TWP. — Children at the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center are getting some early holiday presents thanks to a new program started by Art ‘n’ Vino and Geisinger.
The paint-and-sip studio donated 100 paintings Monday to the program, which is so new it doesn’t even have a name yet.
Children who stay at the hospital will be able to select one of the paintings to take with them when they go home.
The program was the brainchild Laura Ryan. Ryan, a quality improvement liaison for Geisinger, came up with the idea two months ago after attending a bachelorette party at the studio.
She said the artist leading the class introduced studio owner Phillip Krivenko to the room. Since she had an extra seat, she invited him over to pitch her idea.
“It was spontaneous. We came up with the idea, and we’re running with it,” Ryan said.
She was inspired by a similar program at the Lehigh Valley Burn Unit, after someone she knew received a painting a few years ago. Ryan hopes receiving a painting at the end of their stay will help the children forget some of the negative parts of a hospital.
“I kinda within five minutes sold it to him,” she said.
The paintings donated on Monday were ones left by artist who led classes at the studio. But Krivenko added he will donate paintings left behind by students too.
The number of sessions the studio hosts in a month will determine on how many paintings will be donated.
Krivenko hopes for up to 50 per month.
“It gives us a little more space, but these kids would probably love them,” Krivenko said.
Ryan gave kudos to Krivenko because “he could easily make a profit on these” but instead he’s “donating to a good cause.”
The only caveat to Krivenko’s donation is the paintings can’t be sold. They must be given away.
Barbara Coyle, director of volunteer and retail services at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, said that would be no problem.
“For a child to be able to make a choice and take a gift home with them when they’re being discharged, it’s really special,” Coyle said.
The local children’s hospital is a nine-bed hospital. During the winter, most of the patients are respiratory patients.
“They’re not the children who have to stay in the hospital a long time. They will end up in Danville or a major child care center,” Coyle said.
The paintings can’t be hung on the walls, as originally hoped, because even though it caters to children, it’s still a hospital.
“The hospital has very specific rules and regulations about what can be put on the walls,” said Coyle.
Ryan said it’s still a pilot program, but she wants it to turn into something big.
“I want the art to shine for them (patients) as they shine in our hearts,” she said.