In Memoriam
Dear Art Therapy Community,
It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I write to inform you that Ann Francis Oakes, DTATI, passed away on Saturday the 6th of March 2010. She had been battling cancer for some time.
Ann graduated from TATI in January of 2007. Ann was Executive Director of Therapy Through the Arts, a registered charity and non-profit agency with the mandate of raising funds that could be used to provide remuneration to art therapists in providing art therapy services to the community (see their website for more info). Ann was also on the Board of Directors of the Toronto Art Therapy Institute.
Ann was a visionary and a leader and an inspiration to us all. She believed that “now” is the best time to accomplish life goals. After years of success in the business realm, Ann decided to become an art therapist and attended the Toronto Art Therapy Institute and graduated in January or 2007. The “now” came immediately after graduation: IN 2008 she organized her team of volunteers and Therapy Through the Arts (TTA) was born. IN May of 2009, TTA received federal registration.
Today, Therapy Through the Arts is a Canadian charitable organization whose mission is to support and enhance quality mental health programs in the GTA and beyond, TTA reaches out to the community to provide the necessary structure for delivery of art therapy, regardless of the patient’s ability to pay.
Future generations of Canadians will stand to benefit from the results of Ann’s passion.
If you would like to honor her memory she had asked that people consider making a donation to Therapy Through the Arts at:
L9G 1K7.
Helene
Burt, D.A., RCAT, ATR
Executive Director, Toronto Art Therapy Institute
