In her role as CMF Kids Ambassador, Miss Naples will raise awareness about music therapy and educate on its evidence-based healing benefits for children with conditions such as cancer, mental illness, rare diseases, autism, and blood disorders. She will lend her personal support to our CMF Kids and co-chair several new projects to further build the CMF Kids community and participate in fundraising.

“I am thrilled to be the first CMF Kids Ambassador for Children’s Music Fund,” said Ellee Kennedy, Miss Naples. “Music is truly what got me through my 12 years of medical treatments, and I am passionate to ensure each child in my position has the same creative and musical resources I had.”

Alongside her work with Children’s Music Fund, Miss Naples has also devised the ‘Putting the A in S.T.E.M’ initiative to educate and advocate for the use of music therapy in patients’ treatment plans. More information on her social impact effort is found here: @MusicTherapy4STEAM.

“Miss Naples is a great inspiration to our CMF Kids going through medical treatments and needing to manage their pain, fear and anxiety. Her passion for the awareness of music therapy attests that she will make a valuable contribution to our organization,” said Raffi Tachdjian, MD, MPH, Founder and President of Children’s Music Fund. “Having a CMF Kids Ambassador on our team is incredibly significant for Children’s Music Fund as we continue to increase awareness and expand the reach of our cause through the publishing of evidence-based research and providing more hours of music therapy to help our CMF Kids now and in the future.”

Miss Naples, is part of the Miss America Organization and represents Naples county in Florida. She will be competing for Miss Florida in 2021. At a young age, Miss Naples was diagnosed with hypogammaglobulinemia, a rare blood condition where she was required to receive IVIG blood infusions every three weeks for 12 years. During her time undergoing treatments and a strenuous recovery process as a sixth-grade student, she found comfort in exploring her passion for music and even went on to earn a bachelor’s of Music in Music Business and Classical Singing from the University of Miami, Frost School of Music. Read her bio here. Learn more about her life story and medical journey here. View her video introduction here.

About the Children’s Music Fund

Children’s Music Fund helps children with chronic or life-altering illnesses, such as different forms of cancer, blood disorders, lung/heart/kidney disease, autism, and immune-deficiencies to improve their quality of life through music therapy. Engaging children in music therapy helps reduce pain, fear, and anxiety, and provides a much needed distraction from their conditions. The organization supports research on music therapy and uses evidence-based data to further innovate the field and work to integrate music with medicine. Children’s Music Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at www.thecmf.org and follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

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Our founder and president, Raffi Tachdjian, MD, MPH, often treats patients with rare diseases like hereditary angioedema (HAE) and primary immune deficiencies, conditions that require regular infusions of medication.

Music Therapy is one of the tools he uses to treat his patients’ pain, fear and anxiety. The growing therapeutic option uses music’s calming and healing effect as a complement to medicine to achieve certain health goals.

For kids with some rare diseases, a music therapy session could be used to help calm nerves while infusing medicine. Or it could be a way to readjust to society through the common bond of music following a long layoff from school. Dr. Tachdjian calls this “prehab,” a term he first came across in the hemophilia community.

Read more about the benefits of Music Therapy as a complementary therapy for people living with rare diseases in his interview with Vita a publication from CSL Berhing.

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Children’s Music Fund Helps Children Heal Through Music With New Music Therapy Cart at White Memorial

Children’s Music Fund joins healthcare providers and administration from Adventist Health White Memorial to show how board-certified music therapists use state-of-the-art music carts equipped with child-friendly instruments and a mobile recording studio for therapy sessions. White Memorial is the first to receive one of five music carts, designed by Children’s Music Fund and funded by the Water Buffalo Club, to support in-hospital music therapy sessions for underserved and chronically-ill children at their bedside or in group sessions.

CMF Founder & President, Dr. Raffi Tachdjian, and CMF Music Therapy Coordinator, Jana Skrien Koppula, were recently featured on abc7’s Circle of Health along with Chairman of Pediatrics at White Memorial, Dr. Anthony Moretti.

In this segment, Dr. Tachdjian speaks about the importance and power of music therapy along with Dr. Moretti, emphasizing music therapy’s physiological effects in healing, and how music can be better integrated into medical practice to defeat pain, anxiety and fear in patients of all ages.

For more information and updates on Children’s Music Fund and our mission of healing through music, please join our mailing list or find out how to get involved right here at theCMF.org

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Children’s Music Fund (CMF) Adds Four Directors To Support Organization’s Growth Initiatives

Los Angeles June 04, 2018– Los Angeles based Children’s Music Fund, a leading national children’s music therapy charity, announces the appointment of four new directors to its Board of Directors: Danielle Everson Esq, partner at Clark*Everson LLP; Dr. Malika Gupta MD, board certified in pediatrics and allergy/immunology and founder of the non-profit, Foundation for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (FPID); Chris Safarian Esq, founder of Safarian Choi & Bolstad LLP; and Daffodil Tyminski Esq, co-founder of Tyminski Missakian.

These additions to the Children’s Music Fund’s board of directors strengthen the organization’s expertise in several key professional areas to support strategic planning, fundraising and resource development to advance the organization’s mission of bringing music therapy into the lives of sick children to help overcome pain, fear, and anxiety.

“The extensive professional background and strong passion for service held by each of our new directors will provide our organization with fresh perspectives and additional experience in non-profit operations and advancement,” said Dr. Raffi Tachdjian, President and Founder of Children’s Music Fund. “As Children’s Music Fund enters a growth phase dedicated to expanding our reach in underserved communities and providing more hours of music therapy to children in need, we are grateful for the guidance and contributions of our board of directors, staff, volunteers, and especially, our countless supporters.”

Danielle Everson is a partner at Clark*Everson LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in employment counseling and litigation for businesses. Ms. Everson strongly believes in championing causes that support children. Prior to Children’s Music Fund, she served as a Board Member for the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and Port Hueneme.

Dr. Malika Gupta is a physician specializing in Pediatrics and Allergy/Immunology. Dr. Gupta is also a founder of the nonprofit, Foundation for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases (FPID), which supports the education, diagnosis, treatment, and research in primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDs) in India and the US. Her connection to music originates from her mother’s family and she is actively involved in radio and writing music.

Chris Safarian is a founder of Safarian Choi & Bolstad LLP, a boutique law firm based in downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Safarian’s practice focuses primarily in the area of real estate transactional law, but he also services clients in the areas of corporate and dispute resolution matters. He has served as an Adjunct Professor in the Dollinger Master of Real Estate Development Program at USC’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, and regularly guest lectures at law schools throughout Southern California. Mr. Safarian is along-time support of the Children’s Music Fund.

Daffodil Tyminski is a co-founder of Tyminski Missakian, a boutique Los Angeles law firm specializing in corporate transactions, real estate, and litigation. Previously, she worked for the United States Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California. In addition to practicing law, Ms. Tyminski also serves on the Venice Land, Use and Planning Committee for the City of Los Angeles. She is a musician and supporter of children causes.

With the addition of these directors, Children’s Music Fund’s board of directors is at 10 members. For 16 years, the non-profit has provided more than 2000 hours of music therapy to chronically ill children in nine states, with a concentrated focus on chronically ill children in Southern California’s underserved communities. Children’s Music Fund is headquartered in Encino, Calif.

Resources
● Learn about the healing benefits of music therapy
● Help children heal through music: contribute, volunteer or donate instruments
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About the Children’s Music Fund
Children’s Music Fund (CMF) provides music therapy and musical instruments to kids with chronic or life-altering illnesses, such as different forms of cancer, blood disorders, lung/heart/kidney disease, autism, and immune-deficiencies to help improve their quality of life. Engaging children in music therapy helps reduce pain, fear, and anxiety, and provides a much needed distraction from their conditions. CMF connects eligible patients to board-certified music therapists who provide a personalized treatment plan at home and in-hospitals, gifts musical instruments to our patients, as well as supports and conducts research on music therapy to further innovate the field and work to integrate music with medicine. 501©(3) nonprofit organization. http://www.theCMF.org

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Funding Creates Five Customized, State-of-the-Art Music Carts Equipped with Child-Friendly Instruments & a Mobile Recording Studio for Music Therapy Sessions; White Memorial Medical Center First Receipt of Co-sponsored Custom Music Cart

LOS ANGELES May 07, 2018-Los Angeles-based Children’s Music Fund, a leading national children’s music therapy charity, has been awarded funding by The Water Buffalo Club, a charitable organization dedicated to fostering the well-being of underserved and at-risk children in Los Angeles, for five customized music carts to support in-hospital music therapy sessions for underserved and chronically-ill children at their bedside or in group sessions. White Memorial Medical Center will be the first of five hospitals in Greater Los Angeles to have a co-sponsored cart available for music therapy sessions.

“In support of our mission, Children’s Music Fund was selected for its dedication and devotion in serving children in need throughout Los Angeles. The Water Buffalo Club offers grants twice a year; it’s a very competitive process, and we are proud to be partnering with Children’s Music Fund. Engaging hospitalize children to make music at five additional hospitals, giving families a sense of comfort and children a sense of joy, is truly the gift. Children’s Music Fund creates these opportunities” said Shelly Wood, Executive Director, The Water Buffalo Club.

The customized music carts will be used by certified music therapists from Children’s Music Fund during a child’s hospital stay. Session recordings are made and then uploaded to a Cloud-service, providing convenient accessibility by the child and family-members during times of illness and setbacks. Listening to these professional-quality recordings continues the benefits of music therapy sessions and empowers sick children to overcome their challenges through music-making and self-expression.

“We are very grateful and thank the Water Buffalo Club for its support. Over the last seven years, White Memorial has demonstrated its commitment to serving the underprivileged and at-risk pediatric population in the greater LA area,” said Dr. Raffi Tachdjian, Children’s Music Fund Founder and President. “These carts will help raise awareness to the healing powers of music and provide sick children with an opportunity to express themselves through music therapy.”

About The Water Buffalo Club
As Big Kids Helping Little Kids, the Water Buffalo Club is a charitable organization dedicated to providing time and financial support to smaller children’s charities while hosting events that foster well-being for under-served children in the Los Angeles community. Since its introduction in 1989, the organization hosted more than 300 different members and supported over 250 organizations by providing over $4,500,000 in funding. Each year, the WBC members select organizations that align with their “silver bullet” or capital items that will last beyond their giving.

About the Children’s Music Fund
Children’s Music Fund (CMF) provides music therapy and musical instruments to kids with chronic or life-altering illnesses, such as different forms of cancer, blood disorders, lung/heart/kidney disease, autism, and immune-deficiencies to help improve their quality of life. Engaging children in music therapy helps reduce pain, fear, and anxiety, and provides a much needed distraction from their conditions. CMF connects eligible patients to board-certified music therapists who provide a personalized treatment plan at home and in-hospitals, gifts musical instruments to our patients, as well as supports and conducts research on music therapy to further innovate the field and work to integrate music with medicine. 501©(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at http://www.theCMF.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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