Leadership Thurston County Gives Homeless Kids a Place to Play

By Kathryn Millhorn, Thurston Talk

There have been numerous studies on the importance of play in a child’s healthy growth and development. But when families are homeless, even temporarily, children often find playtime isn’t an option. Studies show that “play becomes even more critical for children living in transition as a healing force to cope and restore normalcy to their lives…Playtime reduces potential trauma by engaging youth cognitively, physically, and emotionally, allowing children to build healthy relationships with caring adults and other children.”

Locally the Family Support Center of South Sound fosters a vision of “a community where all families are valued and nurtured and have the resources to be strong, healthy, and self-sufficient.” They offer parent education, family and homeless resource services, and supervised visitation support thanks to community donors, grants, and fundraising. (continue reading this story by clicking here.)