Our Mission

The Andréa Rizzo Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The mission of The Andréa Rizzo Foundation is to foster Andréa’s dream of providing dance therapy for children with cancer and special needs. A non-profit corporation, the Foundation is dedicated to the growth and success of Dréa’s Dream, a dance therapy/expressive movement program for pediatric and young adult populations in hospitals, special education classrooms and medical settings throughout the country.

The Andréa Rizzo Foundation is the only non profit organization in the United States that provides grants that directly fund dance/movement therapy programming provided exclusively by trained Dance/Movement Therapists (DTRs or ADTRs) registered with the American Dance Therapy Association.

About Andréa

Andréa Rizzo had a love of life that was felt by all who knew her. She was a loving daughter, only child, compassionate friend, dedicated Special Education teacher, gifted dancer and childhood cancer survivor. She was attending graduate school at NYU in hopes of becoming a dance therapist so that she could share her love of dance and its positive impact on her life with the lives of fragile children. She herself had been treated and cured of cancer as a very young child at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

On May 19, 2002, Dréa’s life was cut short by a drunk driver as she returned home from attending a dance performance, but her passion for children and dance live on. With determination from family and friends Drea’s Dream is being fulfilled! Thank you, Dré, for having such a wonderful vision!

Andrea loved life, family, friends, children and dance!

Board of Directors

• Susan Rizzo Vincent – Founder and President
• Donald Mollitor – Vice President
• Katie Dugan – Vice President
• Terry Schimmel – Secretary
• Nancy Heagney – Treasurer

Advisory Board (below)

Robyn Flaum Cruz, Ph.D., ADTR, LPC
Editor-in-Chief, The Arts in Psychotherapy
President, American Dance Therapy Association
Associate Professor & Coordinator of Dance Therapy
Lesley University, Cambridge, MA

Nina Pickett, M.H.A.
Administrator, Dept. of Pediatrics
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Dr. Christopher Bentley
Middlesex Memorial Hospital, CT

Diane Duggan, Ph.D., ADTR
Licensed Psychologist, Registered Dance Therapist
NYC Department of Education
Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Dance & Special Education
New York University, New York, NY

Mary Connolly
Vice Chairperson, Newport, Rhode Island City Council
Lecturer in Education
Salve Regina University, Newport, RI

Simone B. Zappa, RN, MBA
Director Medical Staff Office
New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY

Janice DeFrances, Ed.D.
CEO/ President Harmony Hill School, RI
for Severe and Emotionally Disabled Youth