Gualandi Arts & Foundation Inc

How we started

Arts & was first developed while Marin, our founder, was in treatment for Synovial Sarcoma in the height of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Marin was treated at Nicklaus Children's Hospital and Miami Cancer Center, and due to COVID-19, the hospital experience had looked much different than it had in previous years. Prior to the pandemic, the hospital was able to host a variety of experiences that provided hope, socialization and a needed break from the monotony of difficult and painful days. Unfortunately, during Marin's stay many of these usual events, opportunities and experiences for kids to meet and connect had been indefinitely suspended. The hospital would not allow any volunteers or visitors other than her Mother and Father. Marin spent over 65 days in the hospital during the course of her treatment, and the majority of the people she saw daily were there to do another test, or give her chemotherapy that would make her feel worse. But, thankfully there was some light. Marin's day was always brightened by visits from Child Life Specialists and Music Therapists. They were there to help her cope with her diagnosis and they helped Marin use her love of the arts to help her process what she was going through.

As Marin went through her treatment, her brother, Kiernan, was a senior in high school going through the college admission process. He had been independently submitting all of his applications and was accepted to several universities. Though excited about his future, Kiernan had many concerns about how the family would afford school with medical bills continuing to accumulate. The Gualandi family was fortunate enough to navigate both medical and college payments, but they also acknowledged not all families are privileged with the same opportunities they had been given.

During the last stages of treatment Marin and her family decided they wanted to use their experience to help others. The Arts & team was created, comprised of family and friends that have supported Marin and the Gualandi's through treatment, school, and life. The Arts & Team and Gualandi family are committed to passing the kindness of all who helped them forward, and using the arts (theatre, dance, music, art & more) to cope and empower families to continue their lives with joy and grace.

What we do

Arts & Foundation provides four $1000 scholarships annually, two to graduating high school seniors and two for those continuing education. This year, we saw our largest application pool yet. We were so impressed with our candidates that we decided to also create four honorable mention scholarships for $250 each to recognize our many admirable applicants.

We run a annual Squishmallow drive that starts in October every year to honor our founder, Marin. During one of her first stays in the hospital, Marin was given a Squishmallow named Wade to help comfort her during her ongoing cancer treatment at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Wade became the inspiration of our Squishmallow drive. Not only did Wade bring a smile and emotional comfort to Marin, he was also amazing for fitting into those open spaces in the hospital bed to make it more comfortable.  After one of her surgeries Marin found that Wade was perfect to support her chest or to hug when she had to cough. Her nurses regularly commented how great Wade was at assisting Marin. One of Marin’s friends ended up in the hospital, and Marin wanted to give him a Squishmallow to help him feel better during his hospital stay. This is where the idea for a Squishmallow drive began to blossom. After Marin’s passing, a few of her friend’s created the Squishmallow drive in conjunction with the Arts & Foundation to bring comfort to kids in hospitals. We have run our drive for 4 years now, and we have donated nearly 5000 Squishmallows to Children receiving treatment at Nicklaus. Arts & has also created a process so groups can run Squishmallow drives to benefit hospitals and children in treatment in their own area with several drives being put together across the nation.

Volunteers and community outreach are a big part of what makes Arts &. Some of our growing programs include Arts & Palliative Care, which has artists create pieces that are gives to families whose children are in palliative care. The artists give instructions for how the families complete the artwork. This helps give families going through a incredibly difficult time a lasting memory and artwork that helps them keep their child close. Arts & has also worked with several organizations to facilitate interactive art experiences that help connect people.