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 and fun school performance presentations I led that the kids did for parents and teachers. In addition to The Town Hall, I've taught classes at Bronx School of the Performing Arts, Bronx Academy of Letters, and as a returning substitute guest instructor at Actor's Technique New York in Manhattan which is a professional tv/film training company specifically for kids. I love working with kids, making them smile, laugh, and have a natural kid-friendly playful personality that I like to put to use. As a parent myself, I think I can relate to parents/families and as the uncle of a beautiful 18 month old niece undergoing treatment, I can relate to what the families are dealing with.

I've had experience working with and teaching Seniors in the past during my time in Undergraduate study in Syracuse, NY at Syracuse Community Folk Art Center, Onondaga Dance Institute, Syracuse University's Gymnasium Course Programs, and have had some previous experience visiting and talking with incarcerated youth at Riker's some years back with the Jamel Robinson Foundation which focuses on support for youth growing up in foster care. My unique background growing up in inner-city Chicago where I participated in and benefited from similar organizations and programming, my extensive and versatile professional arts training, coupled with residencies working with youth of all ages and backgrounds at City on a Hill Charter School in Roxbury, MA, Boston Theatre Project, and as adjunct theatre faculty Boston Arts Academy both during and following my time at Harvard University, make me passionate about brining joy and arts to youth, particularly in underprivileged and in underserved communities. I even dressed up as Minnie Mouse for kids’ birthday parties in Hamptons, NY.

I am interested in volunteering to help organize and facilitate RMH special events however needed but also have experience teaching youth Theatre Arts, Improv, Storytelling, Devised Theatre, Musical Theatre, Movement for Actors/Creative Movement, Ballet, Modern Dance, and Hip-Hop Dance. 

Tramaine Montell Ford

Actor / Writer / Producer / Teaching Artist

American Repertory Theatre,

Harvard University  (M.F.A.)

Artistic Director, 

Caceres Collective | cacerescollective.com

tramaineford@alumni.harvard.edu

www.tramaine.net