Arts and Healing

There’s a feeling of joy derived from participating in the creative arts. Arts in general — music, dance, visual and performing arts, literature and poetry — touch the human spirit in profound ways.

For people with special needs, being involved with art has an especially powerful effect. It can help manage disabilities and act as a pathway to self-discovery. The activity encourages creativity, it helps individuals express themselves and channel their emotions without having to use words.

Moreover, it creates a feeling of belonging: more often than not people living with disabilities tend to feel alienated, but by being involved in art programs people make connections, and these interactions are correlated to positive cognitive, social and behavioral outcomes.

We developed music, art and dance very early in our human development. These forms of communication are rooted in the deepest parts of the brain. In the words of Nobel winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel – art is an instinctual trait that helps us survive because it is crucial to our well-being.

This Day and Every Day

Sterling is a bright blazing light !! a glorious soul of love, he is filled with delight, wonder, beauty and brilliance. Poetry is one of his many talents.

For Billy Ayres, the founder of Lifeline Theater and Arts, “It has been one of the great honors of my life to work with Sterling.”

Our Incredible Volunteers

In the Spring of 2021 Lifeline Theater & Arts set out to upgrade its digital presence. We knew we had to refresh our aging website and we wanted to boost engagement on social media beyond a Facebook profile.

As a small nonprofit our problem was that we had neither the skills nor resources to cover the work these projects would entail. In discussing this with a long time supporter of Lifeline Theater we discovered VolunteerMatch a platform connecting volunteers with nonprofit organizations.

We have had the great good fortune of working with High School and College age volunteers who have helped remake our online presence by redesigning our website, creating and moderating Instagram and Twitter accounts, and developing a new Facebook profile.

Their work has been invaluable in promoting Lifeline’s mission, and for that we are most grateful. But it’s more than volunteering their time and talents that make them special — these young men and women are kind, selfless and smart.

Thank you KATHLEEN, SUNNY, VARSHINI, JONATHAN, STEPHANIE and SARAH, you are a source of inspiration and give us hope for a better world for all of us.

Michelle’s Story

“I cry my eyes out with gratitude for what you did for Michelle. It is immeasurable. The love, the encouragement and on and on… It is all about believing that your students can be happy, confident and feel good about themselves. Michelle belted out ‘Do You Believe’ which is so significant on many levels— now.

“Billy is literally an extremely talented angel who is directly connected to the hearts of the developmentally disabled population which he teaches. He listens to them, encourages them, inspires them, motivates them, and learns from them. My husband and I always referred to this as ‘Billy Magic.’ His classes are safe zones for everyone to share life stories, private experiences, express themselves and to laugh. It is truly a place to feel part of something much larger and for most of them, this is the only place they can shine. They can be who they really are and feel success; they each possess stardom in Billy’s eyes. He builds so much trust between everyone in his classes and with himself. Creativity on any level is allowed and encouraged. Our daughter, Michelle felt so comfortable with Billy and her classmates that she poured her heart out with feelings that she never expressed before.”

Check out our Instagram

For more photos and videos like the ones below please head over to our new Instagram account, HERE. We have some wonderful volunteers helping us program the social media channels and we would love to hear your comments on Instagram or feel free to contact us at lifelinetheaterinc@gmail.com. If you would like to volunteer or donate to Lifeline please SUPPORT Us.

A New Billy Interview

Jay’s Reel World welcomes Billy Ayres as our guest. Billy went from a professional music career, recording with top stars to finding his passion as a music therapist working with children and adults with autism and traumatic brain injuries. He is the founder of Lifeline Theatre, Inc.