Testimonials

Dear Mr. Pinchuk and Mr. Blair,
I received your media package for the Art for Healing Foundation. Please allow me to congratulate you on your great work. Your action is admirable.
Stephane Aquin, Curator of Contemporary Art – Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Dear Earl and Gary,
On behalf of all of us at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex, I would like to thank you and your foundation for donating and installing the beautiful artwork displayed on the first floor of the complex.

From the moment the art was installed, we received a multitude of compliments from our patients. Clients are thrilled to see the transformation from a drab institution to a warm and visually stimulating environment. Who would have known how dramatic the impact would be! My only regret is that this wasn’t done sooner. It has certainly made waiting for a medical appointment so much more pleasant and calming.

Thank you again for this very generous gesture. It is truly appreciated by all of us.

Sincerely,
Irene Tschernomor, Executive Director & CEO – Queen Elizabeth Health Complex
Dear Earl & Gary,

On behalf of the entire Cancer Care team I would like to thank you for the beautiful artwork you provided for our family room on 5 main. Patients and their families can now seek respite in the tranquil and soothing environment that they so truly deserve. The vivid landscapes invite the viewer into new worlds, and the lively jazz scene adds the perfect element of whimsy. What an incredible difference you have both made! It was a pleasure working with you and I commend your dedicated mission to channelling the healing power of art.

Sincerely,
Gabriella Kogan. M.A. – Art Therapist in Cancer Care St. Mary’s Hospital Center
Dear Gary & Earl,

It has been a great pleasure to work with your foundation to recreate our acute care Child Psychiatry setting at the Jewish General Hospital. Your generous gift of artwork has brought a stimulating, warm and welcoming ambience that lifts the morale of our families, children and staff.

Our child clients have been inspired to work with art mediums, expanding both their understanding of art and curiosity about visual language in art making. Our staff have also been unanimously positive, commenting on the friendly calming impact of the works. They feel supported in using art as a facilitating process in therapy, as we have always promoted art making, music and drama on our units.

Thank you for this invaluable support to facilitate healing amongst fragile and distressed families. We very much appreciate your efforts to bring aesthetic solace in a milieu that struggles daily with distress of mental health work.
Dr. Jaswant Gudzer – Head of Child Psychiatry Jewish General Hospital
Dear Earl & Gary,

It is with great joy and appreciation that I write this letter to you for the tremendous work you have done for the Cedars Breast Center of the MUHC. The artwork that you so graciously agreed to install in the Breast Center has truly transformed it. As you know at times patients receive terrible news in the Breast Center while at other times they wait anxiously for test results. While they wait, they will now have the pleasure of looking at the artwork which will soothe their mood and hopefully help to alleviate their anxiety.

The work that you do is truly special since without it our workplaces would not be as rich and lively. You have helped to make the Breast Center a better place and for this I thank you and your Foundation sincerely from all of us at the Cedars Breast Center of the MUHC.

Sincerely,
Sarkis Meterissian, M.D. – Associate Professor of Surgery and Oncology Program Director of General Surgery Division of General Surgery, Department of Oncology
Dear Mr. Pinchuk & Mr. Blair,

We would like to thank you for all your efforts and generosity of spirit on behalf of all our special children at Yaldei Developmental Center.

We are sure that a lot of love and energy went into each one of the paintings and we are very appreciative that you wish to share it with us. We hope that the viewing this month will increase awareness of all the amazing work that Yaldei does and the need and benefits of art therapy.
Menachem Leifer – Executive Director Yaldei Developmental Center
Dear Gary & Earl,

I wish to thank you personally, and on behalf of all our patients and families for the amazing transformation you have accomplished within our Nephrology Department. This generous gesture is very much appreciated.

Once again, thank you very much for your thoughtfulness!

Sincerely,
André Poitras – Head Nurse, Hemodialysis Jewish General Hospital
Dear Mr. Pinchuk, Mr. Blair & Ms. Lavigne,

I have just returned from a conference, to find our Day Hospital blessed with beautiful artwork, and our Outpatient Clinic waiting room looking somehow more serene and comforting than ever before.

Your very kind gesture helps create an environment that is a little more comforting to people who, as you know, come to our program to accomplish the very important, but often very challenging task of overcoming an eating disorder.

Rest assured that your gesture is (and will be) appreciated by many Eating Disorder Program patients, relatives and friends, and clinicians, who can now (and in the future) enjoy your beautiful artwork.

So on behalf of the many, many people who benefit from your kindness, and from me in a very personal way, let me express a very heartfelt “Thank You”.

Sincerely,
Howard Steiger Ph.D. – Professor, Psychiatry Department, McGill University Director, Eating Disorders Program, Douglas Hospital
Dear Mr. Pinchuk & Mr. Blair,

On behalf of Entraide Grands Brulés and Villa Médica Rehabilitation Centre, we would like to thank you for your donation, your interest and the time your foundation accorded us.

The generous contribution of the Art for Healing Foundation will contribute to both mental and physical healing through the arts. Beautifying the environment will also have a positive impact on families, friends and of course the staff of both establishments. Sincerely, your foundation and its mission make all the difference!

Again many thanks for your generosity.

Best regards,
Emilie Payette – Program Director, Entraide Grands Brulés Hazel Levebvre – Rehabilitation Services Director,  Villa Médica Rehabilitation Centre
Dear Gary and Earl,

What a marvellous difference you have both made in my life and in the lives of my patients. The artwork you provided six months ago has transformed the art therapy room into a welcoming, creative and nourishing place for the children and adolescents who come here for therapy. I would like you to know that their reaction to the art has been tremendously positive. As their art therapist I use the art to teach and encourage them to create their own art that expresses something about themselves. This personal expression is the vehicle through which we move forward towards understanding and healing. I am so grateful for your initiative to bring art into the hospital. Your work is appreciated everyday. Sincerely,
Sally Cooke, M.A. – Art Therapist – Adolescent Medicine, Gynaecology Program Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dear Earl and Gary,

It was a pleasure to meet you at the recent dedication of the Bill Charad Gallery at the MCH. To be chosen for this marvellous display is a privilege and our most sincere thanks to the family and to you for your assistance in bringing this to fruition. If our patients and families derive a small percentage of the joy we have experienced it will no doubt brighten their day. Sincerely,
Dr. N. Blair Whittemore, M.D. – Director, Haematology & Oncology Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dear Earl and Gary,

What comfort to be met with such inspirational artwork. As chaplains we know well the need for soul nurturing and the power of art to touch the spirit and to heal the soul. We recognize this need not only in our patients but also in ourselves. Along with many of our colleagues we are very grateful both for the unique and generous way you are contributing to the hospital’s mission of healing. With our very best wishes,
Laura Cornett, Anne Macaulay & Paul Geraghty, Staff Chaplains Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dear Sirs,

I wish you success in your Art for Healing Foundation which is, indeed, an excellent idea. I am sure that it will fulfill your goal to create a pleasant environment and to provide visual stimulus that have healing effects on hospitalized patients. Sincerely,
Dr. Nicolas Steinmetz, M.D. – Former Executive Director Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dear Earl and Gary,

Your project is a unique and valuable contribution to the quality of life here and reminds us every day that healing comes in so many ways, through so many people. Your interest and motivation are an inspiration to us all. Thank you again.
Dr. Patricia Riley. M.D. – Director, Neonatal Follow-up Program Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dear Friends,

What a pleasant surprise to walk out of the elevators on a grey Monday morning and see those bright paintings on the walls! You have brought sunshine into our environment and it is well appreciated by the staff, the patients and their families. Thank you for all the good work and this great initiative. Sincerely,
Louise Miller, M.A., Aud (C) – Professional Co-ordinator, Audiology Department Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dear Earl and Gary, 

I am very grateful to you and your Foundation for providing a very welcome visual art environment at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, and especially tailored to our patients and staff. I completely support your mission statement and agree that your artwork will enhance our healing environment. Sincerely,
Dr. Harvey Guyda, M.D. – Pediatrician in Chief Montreal Children’s Hospital
Gary and Earl,

Your project is such a wonderful initiative and you are absolutely right that they change the environment for the patients, families and staff. Also, as I have visited other pediatric hospitals in the U.S. and Canada, the most memorable ones which left me with a warm and caring impression of the environment were those who incorporated art work in the facility. Many thanks. Diane.
Diane Borisov – Director of Nursing Montreal Children’s Hospital
Dear Art Doctors,

Thank you so much for the beautiful artwork that will now adorn our walls and bring life to what at times could pass as just a drab day. I know the discussions will be more lively, even if the attention might sway from the speaker to the artwork occasionally! Sincerely,