A huge thank you to Rock Brothers Brewing in Tampa, FL, who hosted a charity happy hour to benefit Child Life Disaster Relief! Through ticket sales and donations, we raised $1,360! Also a big thank you to Yeoman’s Cask and Lion and Westshore Pizza for donating food for the guests to enjoy! We appreciate everyone’s […]
Thank You Rock Brothers Brewing Company & friends! Read More »
Happy Thanksgiving! From the Children’s Disaster Services California Camp Fire Team. The CDS team in Chico, CA, has been working in the Disaster Resource Center (DRC) since it opened last Friday. The team, which has included four child life specialists so far, has been very busy with close to 50 kids each day. FEMA and
Happy Thanksgiving from Chico, CA! Read More »
The CDS deployment to Saipan for Typhoon Yutu was canceled just prior to departure due to the changing needs in Saipan. While the Saipan CDS team was preparing to deploy across the ocean, the packing list continued to change. The list originally included instructions to pack only a backpack, be prepared to walk long distances,
Preparing for Saipan and Rerouting to Chico, CA Read More »
UPDATE: The CDS deployment to Saipan was cancelled late last night. We are grateful for the volunteers who were willing to make the journey. Late October, Super Typhoon Yutu struck the U.S. Northern Mariana Islands; the winds up to 180mph have left many without electricity, water, or a roof over their heads. Our partner, Children’s
UPDATE: Saipan Typhoon Response CANCELLED Read More »
A brief update from Tiffany Heinz, Certified Child Life Specialist, currently deployed with our partner, Children Disaster Services, in Texas with the children and families impacted by the border crisis: It was such an impactful day. Not like any other deployment I’ve been on before. We walked through the doors and there were so many
Beautifully Indescribable Read More »
It has certainly been a busy fall between the TX border crisis and Hurricanes Florence and Michael. In the last 2 months a total of 15 Certified Child Life Specialist have or are currently deployed with our partner Children’s Disaster Services to the various disasters. Five of those went to Panama City Beach, FL to
Fall Disaster Response Update: 15 CLDR members deployed Read More »
Children are incredibly vulnerable to the lasting effects of major life disruptions. Research shows that trauma in childhood has potential for negative outcomes affecting emotional, psychological, and physical health well into adulthood. CLDR interventions are focused on promoting positive outcomes for children after natural and man-made disasters. Research also shows that with timely and
Give Kids the Power…of Resilience Read More »
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” -Desmond Tutu Children and teens often have difficulty seeing beyond their present circumstances and emotions. CLDR works to address their current thoughts, emotions, and questions after disasters while empowering them to experience moments of joy and hope for the
Give Kids the Power…of Hope Read More »
Disruptive life-events can present opportunities for trauma and negative effects, but also triumph and positive-growth. This is true for humans of any age, but the outcomes are especially impactful for children and teens. Even the most devastating challenges in life can result in positive-growth. CLDR gives kids the tools and support needed to maximize
Give Kids the Power…of Triumph Read More »
Children and teens often face new daily challenges and new emotions after disasters. They rarely have the context of experience or cognitive development to determine how to understand and move forward through those challenges. CLDR’s initiatives strive to walk alongside the youngest survivors as they work to find mastery over the overwhelming new tasks,
Give Kids the Power…of Mastery Read More »