CoachArt History

CoachArt was conceived in 2000 by Zander Lurie in memory of his father Dr. Arthur "Art" Lurie. As a cardiac surgeon, Dr. Lurie devoted his life to the healing and wellness of his patients, and loved teaching and mentoring children. Zander, together with his lifelong family friend, Leah Bernthal, set out to create an organization that would enhance the lives of chronically ill youth by tapping into the resources from the coaching community.

In 2001, CoachArt received its 501(c)3 with the expressed mission of providing arts and recreational activities to children and adolescents with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The next 18 months were devoted to research and development of the program. Healthcare professionals, chronically ill youth and their families, and volunteers enthusiastically embraced the concept of matching pediatric patients with coaches for free lessons.

In 2002, CoachArt launched a pilot program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, enrolling 50 patients in lessons. Recognizing that siblings of chronically ill children also experience emotional and economic hardships, CoachArt expanded to include siblings. In 2003, CoachArt launched a fully operational program, providing 650 patients and siblings with lessons from volunteer coaches. From 2004 through 2007 CoachArt continued to grow, partnering with new healthcare organizations and volunteer coaches, and providing more chronically ill children and their siblings free lessons.

Currently CoachArt works with over 500 volunteer coaches and 90 arts and athletics organizations to serve nearly 2,000 students annually. Our most recent success is the launch of a San Francisco Bay area location.

Learn about CoachArt programs