Art has the power to positively impact people’s lives. Never is this more evident than when art is shared with communities not typically exposed to it. Simon witnessed this phenomena while working with the programs listed below. The Miracle Project www.themiracleproject.org Simon served as the Co-Producer and Assistant Director for the 2005-2006 Miracle Project, a critically acclaimed theatre and film arts program for chidren with autism and other special needs. An Emmy Award-winning documentry about the Miracle Project aired on HBO in 2008-2009. (www.autismthemusical.com)   Common Threads: A Journey Home www.freeholdtheatre.org In the Fall of 2003, actors and instructors from the Freehold Studio / Theatre Lab collaborated with a dedicated group of women in the Washington State Correctional Center for Women (WCCW) to create an original performance piece. Improvisational games and writing exercises conducted during weekly visits by the Freehold group gave these women a forum to tell their stories. Toward the end of the six month project, key elements from each woman’s life story were intertwined (using the steps set forth in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey) to develop Common Threads: A Journey Home. The Freehold / WCCW team performed the piece for the women’s friends and families. BookPals www.bookpals.net Bookpals is a SAG-sponsored program designed to help children experience the magic of books and develop a love for reading. The art of story telling is an actor’s craft... no one brings life to a book better than an actor.