Renaissance Enterprises is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization whose goal is to increase the quality of life for elderly people in long term care facilities and

senior centers A senior center (or senior centre or older adult center) is a type of community center where older adults congregate for fellowship with others to fulfill many of their social, physical, emotional, and intellectual needs. A regular part of senio ...

by providing regular interaction with

creative arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of me ...

, artists,

artisans An artisan (from , ) is a skilled worker, skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by handicraft, hand. These objects may be wikt:functional, functional or strictly beauty, decorative, for example furnit ...

, and

performers The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Pe ...

Origins

Renaissance Enterprises was founded in 1988 by Bob Rowe to reach out to elderly members of the community. The organization operates in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

as well as some neighboring states.

Mission

The goal of Renaissance Enterprises is to provide the highest quality arts and music programs to nursing homes and related care facilities utilizing the services of the highest quality artists, artisans and performers whose vision matches our own, to love and serve the elderly through the arts. What we do: Renaissance Enterprises brings the live arts to residents. They strive to bring comfort, reassurance, respect, and love (and some fun too) for residents of long term care facilities and senior centers. The type of creative arts they provide include music, dance, puppetry, live art*, and others. Why: It is well known that music, and other live arts*, can assist healing and ease suffering. This is confirmed in respected professional publications. It is noted that arts can provide a soothing effect on agitated patients, serve as diversion from sadness or anger, can positively effect moods, and touch multi levels of consciousness. Renaissance produced a booklet for artists to guide them in performances for these special audiences. Therein they also note that often they experience small wonders where an audience member had been silent for months or years but the music awakened something in them and prompted them to speech. Renaissance uses a staff of 25 volunteer artists for this purpose and typically delivers over 100 performances per year to audiences that are confined.

Therapeutic Entertainment

Renaissance Enterprises provides artists. Artists who then provide entertainment. Entertainment intended to bring comfort, fun, reassurance, love and respect to those living in care facilities or attending senior centers. Audience members may find the entertainment / activities therapeutic in some way. However, Renaissance Enterprises does ''NOT'' provide

Art Therapy Art therapy is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art therapy, as a creative arts therapy profession, originated in the fields of art and psychotherapy and may vary in definition. Art ...

Music Therapy Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music t ...

, or Dance and Movement Therapy. Art Therapists, Music Therapists, Dance Therapists, and Creative Arts Therapists are allied and/or mental health care professionals who go through a lengthy educational and training process, complete supervised fieldwork, and pass board exams. In the US, they are licensed or registered in some states. They also refer to the people they work with as clients or patients, not audience members. Renaissance Enterprises' artists do not seek to provide therapy, as they are not trained to do so. They do recognize, though, that music is very powerful and many of them have witnessed amazing moments during their work. *Live art (1) Creative art, such as a music performance, that is experienced live, in person, in real-time, rather than watching and/or listening to the performance on an electronic device. (2) "Live Art is when an artist chooses to make work directly in front of the audience in space and time. So instead of making an object, or an environment (a painting for example) and leaving it for the audience to encounter in their own time, Live Art comes into being at the actual moment of encounter between artist and spectator. Or at least even if they are not physically present, the artist sets up a situation in which the audience experience icthe work in a particular space and time, and the notion of ‘presence’ is key to the concerns of the work."

Notability

In 2006 the executive director was presented with the

Mother Teresa Award Mother Teresa of Kolkata has been memorialized throughout the world in recognition of her work with the poor. During her lifetime this commemoration often took the form of awards and honorary degrees bestowed upon her. She has also been memorialize ...

for this work. In 1992, Mother Teresa wrote: "Your work of love in nursing homes, hospitals and for the aged, the neglected and the forgotten is truly the work of peace, for the fruit of love is service and the fruit of service is peace. Works of love like yours bring one face to face with God. Continue to use music to make the presence of God - His love and compassion better known to those in need - His little ones who have forgotten to smile. My prayer is with you in a special way and with all connected with Renaissance Enterprises." The organization's work has been featured in several newspapers and magazine, including

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

, Catholic Digest, Cover, Mature Years,

Daily Word The ''Daily Word'' is a magazine that prints a daily inspirational message published by Unity. Themes include inner peace, hope, healing, guidance, and others. History ''Daily Word'' magazine has been printed continuously since 1924. In the ea ...

National Enquirer The ''National Enquirer'' is an American tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1926, the newspaper has undergone a number of changes over the years. The ''National Enquirer'' openly acknowledges that it pays Source (journalism), sources for tips (chec ...

and

Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on February ...

. Renaissance is also included in CNN's iReport web presence, with a video and writeup about the organization.{{cite web , author=Samaesan , date=April 6, 2014 , title=Comfort, Love and Some Fun Too , website=CNN iReport , url=http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1117572 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603113038/http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1117572 , archive-date=2016-06-03 See the article on Bob Rowe for description of awards and recognition.

Funding

Renaissance is supported by charitable foundations, individual donations, corporate donations and support from the care facilities where they work and from sales of artist's CDs. Foundations that have supported Renaissance Enterprises include: *

Arcus Foundation The Arcus Foundation is an international charitable foundation focused on issues related to LGBT rights, social justice, ape conservation, and environmental preservation. The foundation's stated mission is "to ensure that LGBT people and our fell ...

* Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo * Battle Creek Community Foundation * Berrien Community Foundation * Dorothy U. Dalton Foundation * Frey Foundation * Frederick S. Upton Foundation * Guido Binda Foundation * Harold & Grace Upjohn Foundation * Irving S. Gilmore Foundation * Kalamazoo Community Foundation * Leo Buscaglia Foundation * Frederick S. Upton Foundation * Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA)

References

Sources

* http://newmusic.clearchannel.com/artist/bobrowe Charities for the elderly Health charities in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Michigan Nursing homes in the United States Senior centers in the United States 1988 establishments in Michigan Charities based in Michigan