Cole and Ilia Massie

Um, excuse me, but wasn’t it June about 15 minutes ago??  Sheesh.

Well, summer’s nearly over and it’s high time new pictures were posted, so here they are!

On June 10, we had a fabulous time at a fundraiser for Shane’s Inspiration at the SoHo Art Gallery in North Hollywood.   It’s always amazing to see the incredible Tommy Hollenstein create his work live!

On June 26, we had to say good-bye to some of our very good friends, Spencer Hawk and the Powell Family.  They’ve bought a nice new home in Colorado and we wish them the best…but we miss them already!!

On July 12, Cole had the priviledge of meeting the Head Ranger at Griffith Park, Rgr Joe Drabinski.  He got a personal, one-on-one guided tour and field trip from this Awesome Dude.  Thanks, Ranger Joe!

July 13, we got to celebrate with our good friend Mulligan!  Mulli just turned 11.  It was an all-out pool battle extravaganza!

On July 19, Cole started fencing camp at SwordPlay in Burbank.   He dug this so much that he’s decided to have a fencing birthday party this year.  Great matches, great instructors, great fun!

On July 25, Cole and Ilia participated in setting a Guiness World Book of Records for most wheelchairs in a moving line!  We broke the record and set a new bar!  Woo-hoo!

On July 26, we attended the ground breaking ceremony for Reese’s Retreat.  This is a Shane’s Inspiration-style park being built right behind the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena.  We got to see Reese’s mom, Marchelle.  But the most exciting news is that the pirate ship Cole asked for (again and again and again) during city planning meetings is THE CENTERPIECE FOR THE WHOLE PARK!  Wow!  It has cannons, a crow’s nest, climbing chains and is all totally, 100 percent accessible…EVERYTHING Cole asked for!   Way to go, Cole!!!  Both this and the wheelchair record breaker event were to commemorate the 20th year since the passing of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

August 2 Cole started a week of Archery Camp with the Pasadena Roving Archers.  He had a fabulous time with this group and did a lot of great shooting!

And finally, (for this post anyhow) Cole did is first sleep-away camp ever!  He took along the intrepid Eddie and the two had a blast at the Irvine Outdoor Education Center where they swam, shot archery and bb guns, hiked and…DID THE ZIP LINE!  Over a 35-foot deep canyon!  Yikes!!

OK…you can see all the PHOTOS here.

Enjoy!!

You can also see the original online here:  http://www.valleyscenemagazine.com/music/ (scroll down once you get there!)

Wheelchair Artist Tommy Hollenstein creates Live Painting at SoHo/Lurie Gallery in Studio City to benefit Shane’s Inspiration
By Debra Graff

The packed audience at the beautiful SoHo/Lurie Gallery in Studio City was awestruck.  All eyes were on artist Tommy Hollenstein as he created an original painting using the tires of his wheelchair as brushes. The exciting evening, produced by Tommy Davidson (In Living Color), included comedy by Michael Colyer (Last Comic Standing) and a silent auction along with catering by Jerry’s Deli, Basquait Wine, Sushi Kingz and Monster Energy Drinks.   The soiree raised over $2000 for Hollenstein’s favorite charity, Shane’s Inspiration; an organization dedicated to building accessible playgrounds where children with disabilities can play with their typical peers.  Four are here in the SFV:  Beilenson Park (Lake Balboa), Brandon’s Village (Calabasas), Shane’s Inspiration (Griffith Park) and Hanson Dam.

Hollenstein had been a professional surfer when, in 1985, an unfortunate mountain biking accident left him a quadriplegic. But that didn’t stop him. With passionate determination, he set out to find something positive in a seemingly negative situation. Through his artwork Hollenstein shares his vision, ingenuity, resolve and depth of character - the signs of a true artist. The crowd was captivated by his genius and his calming, peaceful presence lifted their hearts.

Hollenstein says he enjoys painting live because it gives everyone the opportunity to see his process. “It was pretty moving,” he understated.  He especially wanted to bring awareness to the educational side of Shane’s Inspiration that reaches out to schools where busloads of disabled and abled children buddy up at one of the organization’s twenty-three LA-area parks. “In the first few minutes they seem very uncomfortable but in a short time, you see the barriers broken down. Afterwards, abled kids aren’t so fearful of approaching children with disabilities in other situations.”

Tiffany Harris, Co-Founder/CEO of Shane’s, says that Tommy’s taken what others would see as a tragedy and turned his experience into an inspirational life. “He’s responsible for inventing a water ski for paraplegics, helping launch a summer sports camp for disabled persons, serving on non-profits and motivating people of all abilities through his unique art. We are grateful to have him on our Board and team.” For info on volunteer opportunities and an upcoming 5K/10K Walk/Roll Event on August 23rd, contact Shane’s Inspiration at 818-988-5675

13-year old Cole Massie, in a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy and an aspiring artist, spoke with amazing tenacity. “People say I have limits but I don’t and I don’t care what anyone says. I want to be a licensed pilot. I want to be a law enforcement specialist. I believe in no limits.”

Denny Seiwell, original drummer for Paul McCartney and Wings, has been close friends with Hollenstein for many years and was honored to attend. “I love him. Tommy took his liabilities and made them assets and his paintings are incredible.” Seiwell was in on Hollenstein’s signature painting; created live at Neiman Marcus in 2009 with handprints by sixteen rock legends including Ringo Starr.  It sold for $30,000.

“Hollenstein is a remarkable man who has overcome countless obstacles and accomplished so much,” says Tara Romanella of Integrated PR Agency.  “It was great to see everyone come out for this wonderful cause benefitting children who may not otherwise have the freedom to enjoy the simple childhood pleasure of playtime.”

The owners of SoHo/Lurie Gallery, (charming Lurie Brothers Scott, Bruce and Craig) felt privileged to host this special occasion. Scott noted that Tommy always had a dream of becoming an artist and is fulfilling that dream: ”People can be broken, but you can’t break their spirit. I love working with artists I enjoy and Tommy is a very likeable, good person, whose ego doesn’t get in the way.” Bruce said he respects Hollenstein as an artist and admires him for trying to make it in this world. “His disability doesn’t stop him and he’s aggressive getting his show together to raise money for such a worthy cause.” SoHo/Lurie’s next exhibit will be abstract art, opening the last weekend in July. For more, go to: www.luriegallery.com

SoHo/Lurie Gallery
12350 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 762-1500

Artist Tommy Hollenstein and Comedian Tommy Davidson (In Living Color) are doing a fundraiser for Shane’s this Thursday!  Check it out:

Here are the details:

Thursday, June 10
5-8 p.m.
Soho Gallery
12350 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 762-1500

C’mon out!!!!!!

We are completely humbled and totally priviledged to tell you that Cole and Ilia got to paint with amazing artist Tommy Hollenstein today!   Go check out his stuff right now:  http://www.tommyhollenstein.com/

This was a  Canine Companions event (natch) held smack in the middle of Downtown Disney, so we drew (among other things) a nice crowd.  There were puppies-in-training and Elder Statesmen service dogs and everything in between.   There was great live music by a musician named Michael to help get the creativity flowing and Disney VoluntEars who buzzed around making sure everything was perfect.  What a fun day! 

After Cole created his masterpiece (with the addition of Ilia’s pawprint in the lower left corner) we went to the nearby Rainforest Cafe for lunch.  Faux thunder and lightening shook the walls, Bobo the gorilla screeched irritably directly above our table and the human din was fantastic.  All the while, Ilia did…..

Nothing. 

Now, that’s some insane training.  I couldn’t even sit still in that raging cacophony.

We went back after lunch to pick up our now-dry work and say our good-byes.  Although it was after 3:00 (the event started at noon), Tommy was still working with kids and I could see at least a dozen pictures lined up drying on the stage.  He was still patiently teaching, still giving each kid an awesome experience. 

Too cool.   Thanks for the love, Tommy.

Go here to see: http://picasaweb.google.com/MassieFamily97/Hollenstein052210#

Don’t know how long they’ll keep it up on their site, so go look now!

http://www.oprah.com/own/innerview.html?page_id=8

Our fabulous friend and genius producer Judy Korin did this a while back and submitted it.  She got a newsletter from them last night and there it was!  HOLY COW!!  OPRAH!!

Enjoy!