A personal note from Michael:
When I was 14 people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said “a philanthropist”. It was something that resonated with me and wouldn’t go away. It was my parents who instilled in me respect for others, compassion, caring and helping others who had less than you. I went to Elizabethtown College and graduated as an occupational therapist (OT). I remember clearly the day our chairperson brought me into her office and asked if I wanted to be an OT or an actor, given I was onstage as much as I was in anatomy lab! And so, without regret, I became an occupational therapist. But I never stopped performing.
After I became a proud Equity member in 2007, TOUCHING HUMANITY, INC. (THI) was created. A 501(c)3 charitable theatre and educational organization is actually a life long dream come true. I get to do philanthropic things, and I get to combine two careers that I love equally. I am a lucky man!
Our mission statement is our vision for this organization. The primary goal is to produce theatre and develop and present educational health care workshops that inspire, instill hope, engage people’s minds and hearts and encourage communities to be more inclusive of people with disabilities no matter the disability. We educate through our artistic endeavors and through straight forward presentations about disability, particularly workshops that focus on wellness and prevention strategies and strategies to improve one’s quality of life. Our art educates audiences through our motto: “given opportunity, always able”.
One other mission of THI also includes helping other charitable organizations by partnering with them.
Some of my personal and professional beliefs include:
- Care, compassion and concern for others should always be our primary human mission
- Our art should reflect life in honest, unabridged ways, including the disabled life
- Disability is often a perspective of inability which needs to be corrected through education
- Adapting situations, environments and strategies to engage in life activity, including the arts, is always possible
- The arts and education are primary methods to bring communities together for transforming disability and creating awareness for disability inclusion
We are so pleased that you may wish to join us. Look around our site, and please contact us with any suggestions, questions or ideas. The more partnerships to promote disability awareness, health, well-being and quality of life the better!
Have a joyful day!
Michael A. Pizzi, PhD
Actor, Founder, and Executive Director
TOUCHING HUMANITY, INC.
www.michaelpizzi.com