Amaeyzing Spirit Award

Amaeyzing Spirit Award Recipients

The annual Amaeyzing Spirit Award acknowledges an outstanding artist or volunteer who brings the healing power of art directly to our kids.
2024 – Lisa Tsuruoka

2024 – Lisa Tsuruoka

Lisa Tsuruoka is a dedicated volunteer who has spent hundreds of hours supporting our programs. She has assembled thousands of ArtKits, managed the packing of projects for children with bone marrow transplants, and appeared as a guest artist in the @home program. Earlier this year, Lisa completed extensive training and now creates with cancer patients at art workshops held in the Bass Center of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Lisa’s belief that the arts can transform and her commitment to helping medical families make her a perfect choice for the 2024 Amaeyzing Spirit Award.
2023 – Helen Cole Lew

2023 – Helen Cole Lew

Helen is an artist and teacher who has shared her love of creating with countless Kids & Art community members. Since 2008 she has volunteered at destination workshops, helped organize fundraising, and assembled Amaeyzing ArtKits. In addition, she has been a lead artist at online art experiences and outpatient waiting room workshops. Two of Helen’s art pieces were used as inspiration for last year’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month projects. Helen embodies the spirit of Kids & Art and the magic between our artists and kids. As she has reflected, “Often I wonder who gets more out of Kids & Art, the kids or me.”
2022 – Bianca Levan

2022 – Bianca Levan

Bianca is a longtime Kids & Art volunteer and heads our Artists Advisory Committee. She is a gifted paper cutting artist who shares her creativity and style with pediatric cancer patients at our waiting room program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and at destination workshops.
2021 – Paula Boghossian

2021 – Paula Boghossian

Paula is a longtime volunteer at our hospital workshops. She has helped us with our Amaeyzing ArtKits assembly since we started the program. Paula always shows up with her calm and empathetic self and puts everyone around her at ease.
2020 – Caroline Robins and Rachel Handsman

2020 – Caroline Robins and Rachel Handsman

Rachel and Caroline transitioned our programs to a fully remote model during the pandemic, engaging patients and families with enthusiasm and joy each week while pushing forward with persistence and dedication. Their efforts have made a tremendous impact for many families, bringing stability and normalcy in a time of uncertainty.
2019 – Deborah Hopkins

2019 – Deborah Hopkins

Deborah is a Workshop Manager at our Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Stanford waiting room program and has been a Lead Artist at both Stanford and UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Deb is also an unofficial ambassador for Kids & Art, always sharing the good work we do with her community. She is the epitome of a Kids & Art Amaeyzing Artist!