Palm Health Foundation announced today a $5,000 gift from Valley Bank to provide seed funding for the new Palm Beach County NeuroArts Collaborative. The donation is the first of its kind for the collaborative convened by Palm Health Foundation that brings together local leaders in brain science and the arts, including the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, the Max Plank Florida Institute for Neuroscience, the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, and The Palm Beaches. The Valley Bank gift will support the collaborative’s launch and growth as it focuses on identifying and mapping local partners, programs, resources, and existing research to support the advancement of neuroarts in South Florida.

Neuroarts is the transdisciplinary study of how the arts and aesthetic experiences measurably change the brain, body, and behavior, leading to improved physical and mental health, disease prevention, enhanced brain development in children, and more. It’s an area that aligns with Valley Bank’s corporate social responsibility focus to improve quality of life and bring economic empowerment and change to communities.

“At Valley Bank, we empower our communities to thrive,” said Charles W. Keys III, Vice President and Corporate Social Responsibility/CRA Officer. “Linking brain health to the arts through the collaborative will create powerful ways for people to come together and experience the benefits of music, art, dance, and more. We’re proud to lead on the local funding for this emerging field and excited to see the collaborative’s impact on our community.”

Valley Bank’s investment will support the collaborative’s work to build a collective vision around advancement and integration of the arts, art-therapies, science, and health and well-being in Palm Beach County. Early plans include hosting and facilitating an in-person workshop to bring together researchers, health practitioners, artists and others from the arts and public health domains to share, brainstorm and vision the future of neuroarts and its positive impact on mental health and neurodegenerative diseases, including dementia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.

“Palm Beach County is moving the brain health agenda forward through a unique collaboration that combines our world-class brain science institutions and robust cultural assets as a model for the emerging field of the neuroarts,” said Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation. “Valley Bank’s funding speaks volumes about the importance of our work. We are deeply grateful and hope that their gift inspires others to invest in us.”

While the collaborative is in its beginning stages, it has already caught the attention of national leaders in neuroarts, the Johns Hopkins International Arts + Mind Lab Center for Applied Neuroaesthetics, and the Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine, and Society Program. These institutions have partnered to create the NeuroArts Blueprint initiative, designed to strengthen, standardize, and propel neuroarts globally. The collaborative is aligning with the NeuroArts Blueprint and has been invited to become its first local Community Arts Coalition Partner.

For more information about the Palm Beach County NeuroArts Collaborative and Palm Health Foundation’s other brain health initiatives, visit here.

About Palm Health Foundation 
Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $91 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.

About Valley Bank
As the principal subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, Valley National Bank is a regional bank with nearly $56 billion in assets. Valley is committed to giving people and businesses the power to succeed. Valley operates many convenient branch locations and commercial banking offices across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California, and Illinois and is committed to providing the most convenient service, the latest innovations and an experienced and knowledgeable team dedicated to meeting customer needs. Helping communities grow and prosper is the heart of Valley’s corporate citizenship philosophy. To learn more about Valley, go to www.valley.com or call our Customer Care Center at 800-522-4100.