Stefanie's Story - Opera Gives Voice To Autistic Singer



Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


April 23rd, 2010.
NBC Nightly News featured OCCTAC student Stefanie Diaz and instructor Renee Rulon Cortez in the "Making A Difference" segment on their Friday night national broadcast.
For all of us who have known Stefanie and her family for many years it was an emotional moment. It was wonderful to see how far Stefanie has come in the 9 years she has received therapeutic art classes at our center. Of course, a 2-minute news segment cannot tell her amazing story in much detail. But Dr. Ana Jimènez-Hami, founder and president, remembers. "Stefanie was one of our first students. Her family came to us for help because both Stefanie and her brother have autism. Stefanie displayed severe autistic behavior at that time.

Stefanie Diaz at age 9.

However, Stefanie showed a keen interest in many forms of art. Over the years, she has attended visual art classes, dance and many different music classes. She is currently visiting the center 4 days a week and besides opera, she takes piano, violin and art. We asked her father how these classes have impacted Stefanie and his family. "The difference is a miracle" responds José Luis Diaz. "I'd describe her improvement level as 75 per cent from where she was to the best she can get." Hoping for 100 per cent, Stefanie and her brother keep attending classes and improving more! How did they like the NBC Story? Mr. Diaz: "We are waiting for a DVD copy. We could not watch it on Friday night. Stefanie was at the center in a violin class".

Many of you know that federal funding for Stefanie as well as many others of our students has been cut. We hope to be able to continue to provide classes to all of our students.
Please consider becoming a sponsor by making a donation. OCCTAC is a 501 C3 non-profit organization. Thank you for helping our children!










Instructor Renee Rulon Cortez about her work with Stefanie:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Comments

Tastiman said…
Its great learning for me, nice post.
Toddler Cough
September 6, 2011 at 3:40 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome Mexican Consul Alejandra Garcia Williams!

Image
We had a fiesta! On Wednesday, March 24th, 2010, we welcomed the new Mexican Consul Titular Alejandra Garcia Williams and Consul Para Asuntos Comunitarios Lourdes Chàvez to our center. OCCTAC Board President Mary Ellen Lohnes, Consul Alejandra Garcia Wiliams, OCCTAC president Dr. Ana Jimènez-Hami The Consuls did not come empty-handed! Many of our students had participated in the international "Este es mi México" annual children's art contest, sponsored by the government of México. Thousands of pieces of art work were sent to Mexico City where a committee of professional artist painters judged the entries. The Consuls came to OCCTAC to congratulate the students who received a certificate of excellence! Consul Garcia Williams: "Last year, the contest theme celebrated the one hundredth anniversary of the Mexican Revolution. We encourage all children ages 7 to 11 to submit their work this year as well!" The 2010 Contest will feature heroes and battles. Click
Read more

Help Us Invite Ricky Martin! Join Our # Campaign!

Image
Amigos! Please help us! Record a short video on your phone, inviting Ricky Martin , and share it with hashtags on your social media platforms! Ricky Martin's incredible commitment to supporting arts and children is an inspiration! We hope to be able to reach him personally - or at least someone from the Ricky Martin Foundation. Getting someone of his global stature to just say "Hello" to our students would be immeasurably valuable in motivating and encouraging them to persevere! We launched a social media campaign on all platforms on August 10th, using @ and # in the hopes of spreading the word and getting Ricky Martin's attention. Dr. Ana Jimenez-Hami and all staffers and students invite family, friends and Santa Ana and Orange County residents to help by recording a short smartphone video invitation and sharing it to their social media channels, hashtagging or adding @Ricky_Martin and OCCTAC Ricky Martin: Twitter: @ricky_martin Instagram:
Read more