Return to the "POINTER VIEW"
                         April 11, 2003

Keller hosts annual Paintfest

Story and photos by Spc. Eric S. Bartelt
Leisure Editor

Strokes of kindness, combined with a brush of laughter, filled Keller Army Community Hospital April 4 as Paintfest 2003

A finished ceiling mural depicting doves was placed in the waiting area of the 1st floor at Keller.

 helped brighten the ceilings, walls and patients’ outlooks.

John Feight (left), executive director of The Foundation for Hospital Art, shows New York Giants' Ralph Brown, Matt Bryant, Brandon Short and Dhani Jones a portfolio of his past works with the foundation.

For the fourth year running John Feight, The Foundation for Hospital Art’s executive director, brought his love of painting to KACH to help bring a sense of caring and love to an environment that is generally unappealing and filled with anxiety.

"Our objective is to love and comfort people in hospitals by softening up walls that are blank, sterile and cold," Feight said.

Some of his best human experiences have occurred in hospitals, Feight said.

"A four-year-old girl touched me on my shoulder during my second mural and said she wanted to paint," he explained. "When I turned to see her, she had been severely burned in a car explosion.

"To me, she became precious and not the art," Feight added.

Lauren Webb, 9, paints around the head of the fish as she completes her ceiling tile to be used as a wall mural at Keller.

Feight began painting 28 years ago and started the non-profit foundation in 1984 with an ever-expanding reach to hospitals all over the world.

Lydia Benitez, 1, helps with the pain threshold painting, which will be used on the 4th floor at Keller.

Currently, the foundation has reached 165 countries and the foundation’s hospital art is in more than 600 hospitals and 20 military installations worldwide.

The Robert Wood Johnson Jr. 1962 Charitable Trust is the sponsor of the event that involved volunteers from all over the community, academy and hospital staff, patients and five members of the New York Giants.

"It’s paramount that we come together as a community to show that we’re all on one team," said Warrant Officer Faaruwq Muhammad, chief of medical maintenance, KACH. "By bringing all these different personnel and special guests here, it provides a healing medium for the patients."

New York Giant linebackers Dhani Jones and Brandon Short, cornerback Ralph Brown, offensive tackle Ian Allen and kicker Matt Bryant visited with the patients, cadets, signed autographs and helped paint several ceiling tiles to be placed on the ceilings and walls as murals.

(left to right) Cadet 1st Class John Pimental, Cadet 2nd Class Andrew Kennedy and New York Giants linebacker Dhani Jones paint together as they discuss the daily activities of cadets at West Point.

The players enjoyed their experience helping with this project and giving a little of their time for a good cause, while at the same time visiting with patients who need a little lift.

"It feels really good to give something back, to help, assist or give a lift to somebody," Short said, a starting outside linebacker from Penn State.

"It means a lot to me because I know when I was a kid, when I was down and out, to get a visit from someone, like a public figure, made me feel good," said Brown, a third year player from Nebraska. "It’s great to take time to visit, help out, talk to the patients and uplift them, and it makes me feel good to know that I can be responsible for putting a smile on someone’s face."

New York Giants cornerback Ralph Brown and Cadet 4th Class Sarah Dreyfus share a laugh as they paint a ceiling tile as a part of the 2003 Paintfest at Keller Army Community Hospital.

One of those faces belonged to Cadet 4th Class Sarah Dreyfus, a soccer player who has been laid up following a spinal tap.

"I think it’s really nice, I’ve been here a few days and it gets really boring and depressing to be in the hospital," Dreyfus said. "It’s nice to see them come out, because as an athlete, I know how busy they are and how difficult their schedule can be -- it’s nice to see that they care."

Caring is all a part of the program that Feight has built, and it is also a family affair as he was joined by his wife, Linda; son, Scott and daughter-in-law, Tina.

John’s son, Scott, is a 1991 West Point graduate and John feels a deep-seated love for West Point and the military in general, and he is glad to come back here to spread a gentle ambiance throughout the hospital.

Steve Rosen holds his nephew, Anthony Griffin, 1, as he gets an autograph from New York Giants linebacker Brandon Short.

"I love the tradition of West Point from Washington and Jefferson on up, and I want to be a part of it," Feight said. "To

support not only West Point, but the military in general, with this project makes me glad to be a part of West Point."