ABM continues to be one of more than 2,000
museums across America to offer free admission to military personnel and their
families this summer
[See 5/22/15 update at the end of this article: Contains Statement Regarding Partnership with River Hospital]
CLAYTON,
New York (May 20, 2015) – The
Antique Boat Museum (ABM), North America’s
premier freshwater nautical museum based in Clayton, NY, along with
River Hospital of Alexandria Bay, NY, announced today that their award winning
partnership will re-launch and span the 2015 summer calendar in support of our
armed forces.
Beginning
May 22, the Antique Boat Museum will feature a new exhibition located in the
Haxall Building, which will run through the early fall, relating to the River
Community Wellness Program (RCWP) based at River Hospital.
The
RCWP at River Hospital provides intensive outpatient behavioral health services
for active duty military personnel stationed at Ft. Drum. RCWP provides
continuity of care for soldiers transitioning from an inpatient stay. It also
serves as an intensive intervention option for mental health services locally
to reduce potential admissions of service members to an inpatient level of
care, focusing instead on building coping skills and supports in the community.
It is the only program of its kind in the United States. The program keeps
military members close to home while they are healing and learning to cope,
using multiple forms of therapies such as Cognitive Processing Therapy, Group
and Individual Therapy, Movement Therapy, Peer to Peer Therapy, Imaginal and In
Vivo Exposure Therapy, as well as Psychiatry and Medication Management.
Through
this partnership, the artwork and creative writing that has been done in recent
years as part of Creative Arts Therapy will go on display to the public at the
ABM.
In
addition to the exhibition, participants in the RCWP will also be given the
opportunity to explore the region’s beauty by climbing aboard one of the
Museum’s in-water fleet boats to cruise the islands for relaxation and
meditation time, as required by the program.
In the
spring, the ABM and River Hospital partnership was recognized in Syracuse as a
Non-Profit Collaborative Award recipient.
Along
with the RCWP partnership, the ABM announced today that it will again serve as
one of more than 2,000 Blue Star Museums across the country, providing
complimentary admission to active military and their immediate families.
“With
our close proximity to the
10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, the
nation’s most deployed installation, and the
174th Attack Wing at
Hancock Field, we feel as an institution that it is important to play a local
role in the support of the troops we consider to be our friends and neighbors,”
explained ABM Director of Marketing & Communications,
Michael Folsom. “We
look forward to engaging with those who visit us and hope to provide them with
an enjoyable experience.”
In
addition, River Hospital will again serve as the Official Sponsor of the Armed
Forces at the Museum throughout the 2015 season, helping to underwrite those
Blue Star admission fees, as well as the admission fees of all active and
retired military members during the upcoming 51
st annual Antique
Boat Show to be held July 31 – August 2.
“Blue
Star Museums has grown into a nationally recognized program that service
members and their families look forward to each year,” said Blue Star Families
Chief Executive Officer Kathy Roth-Douquet.
“It
helps bring our local military and civilian communities together, and offers
families fun and enriching activities in their home towns. We are thrilled with
the continued growth of the program and the unparalleled opportunities it
offers.”
This year, museums in all 50
states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking
part in the initiative. Museums are welcome to join Blue Star Museums
throughout the summer. The effort to recruit museums has involved partnerships
with the American Alliance of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors,
the Association of Children’s Museums, the American Association of State and
Local History, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers. This year’s
Blue Star Museums represent not just fine arts museums, but also science
museums, history museums, nature centers, and dozens of children’s museums.
About
ABM
The
ABM, now open daily 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., is home to North America’s largest
antique boat collection with more than 300 boats and over 1,000 boating
artifacts. In addition, the Museum is also host of the longest running antique
boat show, which will celebrate its 51
st year this July 31 – August
2. For more information, please visit the Museum’s website at
abm.org.
About
River Hospital
River Hospital was designated as a
Critical Access Hospital in 2003. Holding 15 acute care and 9 swing beds, River
Hospital also operates an active Emergency Room. Primary Medical Care,
Behavioral Health, Laboratory, Physical Therapy, Respiratory Therapy,
Ambulatory Surgery and Radiology services are available. For additional
information, visit our website at
www.riverhospital.org
or call 315-482-2511.
About
Blue Star Museums
Blue
Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue
Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across
America to offer free admission to the nation’s active duty military personnel
including National Guard and Reserve and their families. The program will run
at the ABM throughout the entire 2015 season. Nationally, the program will run
Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The
free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common
access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), or a DD Form 1173‐1
ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military ‐ Army, Navy, Air Force,
Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve,
U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps ‐ and up
to five family members.
Some
special or limited‐time museum exhibits or events may not be included in this
free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please
contact the museum directly. To find participating museums and plan your trip,
visit arts.gov/national/blue‐star‐museums.
All
summer long,
Blue Star Museums will share stories through social media. Follow
Blue Star Museums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily, #bluestarmuseums, on
Facebook, and read the NEA Art Works blog for weekly stories on participating
museums and exhibits.
Museums
that wish to participate in Blue Star Museums may contact
bluestarmuseums@arts.gov, or Wendy
Clark at 202-682-5451.
This is the latest NEA program
to bring quality arts programs to the military, veterans, and their families.
Other NEA programs for the military have included the NEA/Walter Reed Healing
Arts Partnership; Great American Voices Military Base Tour; and Shakespeare in American
Communities Military Base Tour.
5/22/2015 Update:
STATEMENT REGARDING
PARTNERSHIP WITH RIVER HOSPITAL
CLAYTON,
New York (May 22, 2015) – “Despite the recent news regarding the potential
changes to the River Community Wellness Program at River Hospital, the Antique
Boat Museum and the hospital plan to proceed with their partnership as outlined
in the news release dated May 20,” explained Michael Folsom, Director of
Marketing and Communications. “Both organizations are avid supporters of our
armed forces and feel strongly about relaying the message this partnership
portrays. With or without the program at River Hospital, all elements of the
partnership – exhibition of artwork, river cruises for soldiers, and admission
discounts – will remain in effect for the Museum’s 2015 season.”
