Our friend Emily Thomas is an occupational therapist who lives in Philadelphia, and who works with children dealing with a number of neurological disorders.  Unable to volunteer her time to work with children living in homeless shelters as she used to do because of COVID-19, she has been collecting sensory and educational toys to donate to children in the shelters instead.


Emily collaborated with a social worker, physical therapist, parents, and homeless shelter staff on what items to collect and started putting the word out to friends and family for donations.

EVERY DONATED KIT INCLUDES

> self-care items
> gross and fine motor activities
> craft supplies and brain games
> relaxation/stress management activities
> resources for parents
> instructions on how to use the tools

Emily reached out to Generation Mindful on April 18th for a donation and, seeing a need for these homeless families to have social-emotional tools and support, we donated 530 of our Travel Time-In ToolKit to help kids name and share their feelings.


WE WOULD LIKE TO DO MORE

We have an encouraging story to share with these children, written by an OT and a PT that teaches children about feelings. The book is called Heart's Treasure Hunt, and we would like to include a copy in every kit (530 total) that Emily is creating for homeless families in Philidelphia.

For every $3 donation, Generation Mindful will send a hardbound copy of Heart's Treasure Hunt to a child living in a homeless shelter. Every $15 donation will send x5 books to a shelter, and every $45 donation will send x10 books, plus a hard copy to you ---OR--- x15 books donated to a shelter. 

If we raise more than the 530 Emily needs, we will distribute additional books to homeless shelters in additional cities, starting with St. Louis, MO where we are based. Our goal is to raise 530 book donations to ship to Emily in Philidelphia in the first week of May in plenty of time for Mother's Day.


Heart's Treasure Hunt features a mirror at the end of the story. As Emily shared with us, families are allowed only two personal belonging bags in the shelters. In addition, they share community bathrooms that were not designed for children, giving them little access to looking in a mirror. We want to hold a mirror up for these kids and remind them that they are love, they are treasured, and they are so loved.

DONATION LEVELS

If 530 friends donate $3, we will reach our goal and be able to donate 530 books along with the 530 Travel Time-In ToolKits we are already sending.

Here's what we will do with your donation:

A WORD FROM EMILY

“My name is Emily Thomas, I am an Occupational Therapist working at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. I also volunteer at the local homeless shelters and collaborate with the Homeless Health Initiative (HHI) Team to advocate for health-related services to families living in local housing shelters. 

Due to Covid-19, we have not been able to provide our medical services or run programs and groups in the shelters. The children we are creating kits for have faced many hardships, experienced trauma, and often have academic and developmental delays. When we were no longer able to run our groups, I wanted to put together some items to show the kids we are still here, supporting them, and also give them something to do as they don’t have many resources and hardly any toys.

I have reached out to many different companies, businesses, and public influencers without success. I have had the most success from family and friends through social media.

I’ve been so passionate about working with this population for years, and now more than ever I am determined to help so that no child gets left behind and has the chance to be a kid. Not only will these kits foster play and development, stimulate their brains, and provide some relief for parents, but they will show them that they are important, that people within the community care about them, and they deserve access to child basics like crayons and books.


Thank you for taking the time to read about my mission, sharing it with others, and/or contributing to the cause. Please only contribute if you are able, as I know these are difficult times for everyone. I am optimistic we will be able to provide for all 530 families if we keep spreading the word!" - Emily Thomas

ADDENDUM!!! NEW YORK REQUESTING 1,000:

So... we fully funded in 3 hours, and hit 225% funding in a day. That said, we have received requests from agencies in New York for 1,000 additional Travel ToolKits and as many books as we can cover.

My friend for four years, Michael Gilbert, with It’s About Childhood & Family Inc. (Syracuse NY) messaged me about the need they are seeing and requested 1K additional donations. He is distributing resources to families in need (e.g., low income, homeless, children with sensory needs) throughout Central NY.  These items will be added to packets that will also include other educational materials and mindfulness activities. We were thrilled to get his request... and even more thrilled to say YES.



ACCESS YOUR THANK YOU GIFT

To thank you for your donation, Generation Mindful would like to send e-book access to Heart's Treasure Hunt to anyone who donates more than $15. Simply email us at [adresse e-mail supprimée] with the subject line “Go Fund Me eBook Access Please”. Include your donation amount and we will reply with your access link. 

And if you donate over $45, to thank you for your generosity, we can send you a copy, anywhere in the United States. Simply email [adresse e-mail supprimée] with the subject line “Go Fund Me HardCopy Please”. Please include your donation amount and a US mailing address. 

RAVE REVIEWS

For more details on the story, visit our website .



PS: Here's the only review that matters: