Tramaine Montell Ford Blog

LETTER TO RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE NY  Dear RMH NYC Admin, My name is Tramaine Montell Ford and I was a fairly recent guest at the Ronald McDonald House in Winfield, Illinois where my niece Ané Ford was housed for radiation treatments. I was forever changed by the experience of staying 2 weeks in RMH. The RMH’s mission, operating concept, facility, staff, volunteer staff, generous donors, and overall atmosphere blew me away as a place of healing, support, and joy for families— not just my own, but of other grateful families I had the pleasure of meeting while there. I love working with youth and have steadily for the past 5 years as a teaching Artist for  The Town Hall's Arts in Education Outreach  for a number of elementary and high schools in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and The Bronx. With The Town Hall NY, I thoroughly enjoyed fulfilling teaching artist residencies at  Civic Leadership Academy  and  Excel Charter Schools , both of which culminated into rewarding a...

THE SANCTUARY BRIDGE PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY  Dear Sanctuary Staff, Growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini Green Housing Projects, a community riddled with gangs, violence, and poverty, I defied the odds, earning a Bachelor's Degree in theatre from Syracuse University and Master's Degrees from Harvard University. These accomplishments, celebrated by many as the epitome of success, did little to shield me from the traumatic experiences of my youth, experiences that would shape the course of my life. As I transitioned into adulthood, the insidious effects of the trauma I had endured began to surface. The echoes of my past haunted my emotional well-being, and it became increasingly clear that my journey was far from the conventional success story that others perceived. At the age of 35, the toll of my tumultuous background manifested in a series of devastating losses — my cousin and best friend Andre, fell victim to gun violence; my uncle succumbed to a heroin overdose, and tragically,...