When their teen daughter was diagnosed with cancer, Mario and Gisele DiNatale were devastated. Although she had excellent medical care and overwhelming community support on her side, Alicia Rose passed on at the age 17, having lost her courageous battle. Yet through their grief, her parents decided to help others by creating The Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation in their daughter’s honor. The Foundation has a very special purpose—to provide amenities and activities that boost the spirits of hospitalized teens.
As a longtime friend of the DiNatale family, Safelite Solutions Vice President Client Sales & Support Gary Strain offered to help, and soon got involved in the Alicia’s Art Cart Program. Designed to give patients a creative outlet during treatments, the art carts are filled with plenty of art supplies, then delivered to teens who are patients at local hospitals. Since then, Gary has encouraged other Safelite leaders to get involved, including Operations Manager Bryant Woody.
Safelite’s Mesa, Arizona, team celebrated the newest installment of Alicia’s Art Cart—this time at Cardon Children's Medical Center. The program, which provides carts stocked full of art and craft supplies suitable for teens receiving hospital care, has now expanded to 30 different hospitals across the country. Thanks to Safelite’s partnership with the Alicia Rose Victorious Foundation, the list continues to grow.
Operations Manager Bryant Woody was excited to unveil the new Art Cart at Cardon Children’s. After visiting just a few rooms with the cart, Woody could tell this cart and the people behind it are going make an unimaginable impact on teens' lives, allowing them to express themselves through art while receiving medical care.
Pictured is 15-year-old Saul Macias, the first teen to try out the new Art Cart at Cardon Children’s. Safelite’s Mesa team also included the strong Caring Hearts of Warehouse Supervisor Scott Brimer and Assistant Managers Tyson Jensen and Mike Craig.
For more information about Alicia’s Art Cart, visit www.victoriousfoundation.org/artcart.
Source article written and published by Safelite AutoGlass The Wire.