Good. Clean. Fun. – the exact kind of experiences every parent wants for their child, but at the Children’s Healing Center, those words bring on a completely different kind of reassurance.
For kids with weakened immune systems, the Children’s Healing Center provides social and emotional healing in a safe, clean environment. The recreation center focuses on socialization, play-therapy, and education for kids, young adults, and families so they may express themselves, interact with others, and feel a sense of belonging.
“We are a lifeline,” said Melissa Block, director of Development & Growth, Children’s Healing Center. “We are the one place families can safely go outside their homes and participate in life.”
The quarantine experience during the onset of the pandemic is something the whole world can relate to, but for families with a life-threatening illness in their household, the isolation period has no end date. Instead, upon diagnosis, their entire lives change forever to protect the health of their loved one.
That’s why the Children’s Healing Center is so important – because it provides a place for kids and families to experience community.
Since 2021, The Children’s Foundation has supported the Children’s Healing Center’s special programming with nearly $20,000 to create and expand opportunities for kids and families to connect throughout the year. Events have included movie nights, pottery painting, Mother-Son and Daddy-Daughter parties, and much more.
Kids, siblings, and parents are invited to join in the wide variety of activities and events offered. Programs vary, blending learning opportunities, special events, day camps, and specialized teen, young adult, and parent programming. There is something for everyone.
Through their unique model, the Children’s Healing Center breaks bonds of isolation, improves mental health, encourages physical activity, fosters learning opportunities, and ultimately, builds community.
“Illness takes so much from families, but it shouldn’t take away the opportunities to build connections, be active, make memories, and experience life,” Block said. “To give these families their lives back, that’s really what it’s all about.”
