CULVER CITY, CA--(Marketwire - April 01, 2009) - Autism program innovator, educator, and speaker, Elaine Hall (“Coach E”) director of the Vista Inspire Program of Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Los Angeles, and founder of The Miracle Project will introduce the movie about her life affirming, Miracle-Minded programs, titled “Autism: The Musical,” Friday, April 3rd at 6:00 pm EDT at the United Nations Headquarters.
This two-time Emmy-award winning HBO documentary is hailed as “a marvelous ... documentary.” Variety writes, “Eloquently attesting to the transformative power of theater, ‘Autism: The Musical,’ an upbeat docu about putting on a musical for, with and by autism children, proves as riveting as it is revelatory.”
As mandated by General Assembly resolution 62/139 from 18/12/07, World Autism Awareness Day is an official observance, held each April 2nd as a day when the UN system of agencies, programs, and Member States are encouraged to “take measures to raise awareness about autism throughout society and to promote early diagnosis and intervention.” The Miracle Project performance and screening marks the second day of official Autism Awareness events at the United Nations.
Friday night’s program will begin with an introduction to Autism Awareness Ambassador, Elaine Hall, thanking her for her work innovating enriching, engaging, theater arts, religious, and lifestyle programs for families living with autism, followed by her brief remarks, the screening of the documentary, questions and answers with the producers and cast of “Autism: the Musical”, and then a powerful performance by The Miracle Project students, Wyatt Isaacs (age 14), Henry Stills (age 12), and cello enthusiast, Adam Walden (age 11), plus students from Los Angeles’ Vista Inspire Program, Emily Hilsburg (12) and peer volunteer, Elena Loper.
Each of the children has autism. Wyatt, Henry and their mothers are available to discuss their experiences and perspectives with the international ambassadors gathered to cultivate interest in developing state of the art enrichment programs like those of Elaine Hall.
Elaine’s son Neal, adopted from a Russian orphanage, was the inspiration for The Vista Inspire Program/Miracle Theater based on the “Coach E Methodology” bringing together children with special needs and their typically developing siblings in an atmosphere of creativity, acceptance and joy. Her programs are endorsed by renowned Autism expert Dr. Stanley Greenspan, Autism advocate and educator Stephen Shore, and speech pathologist Barry Prizant.
About the Miracle Project (www.themiracleproject.com)
The Miracle Project continues to thrive and its methodologies are the basis of Vista’s Inspire Program, at Vista Del Mar in Los Angeles (www.vistadelmar.org). Hall and her partner, Diane Isaacs, are currently building the National Miracle Project Network, thereby ensuring that every community who needs or desires such a program has the training and curriculum to do so.
Elaine Hall - “Coach E,” the founder of The Miracle Project, is an educator, writer, consultant, motivational speaker, performer, and professional acting coach for TV and film. Hall is the founder of Kids On Stage, Inc., a theater and video arts program which emphasizes creativity, self-expression and social consciousness. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband Jeff, a play therapist, and is writing her biography, “Now I See the Moon” for Harper Studios Publishing. When traditional therapies did not help Neal, her son, she sought out her actor, writer, musician peers, to work with him. The new methods she developed to reach autistic children, resulted in The Miracle Project and Vista Inspire Project/Miracle Theater.
Hall coaches both typical and “special” children with relationship, self-esteem and confidence issues, as well as children seeking professional careers in entertainment. Most recently, she was the children’s acting coach on the feature film “Akeelah and the Bee.” Her unique, positive relationship-building approach to children’s arts education has been featured in many documentaries and publications. She has served as a drama coach for UCLA Bruin Kids, Walt Disney Studios, Universal Studios, ABC Television and Nickelodeon.
Event sponsors: Vista Del Mar, The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation, and the Joan Katz Family Foundation.
PUBLICITY CONTACT:
Tracy Columbus
Columbus & Company Public Relations
310-477-0859
