Perceptions of what a Children's Shelter is really like varies wildly by person. For one person, a shelter may be a place where re-hydrated and reheated food is served to unwanted kids that sleep in sleeping bags and spend their days having counseling with a social worker. For another, a shelter may be no different from a typical elementary school classroom. Crisis Nursery has its own share of perceptions: we may, at times, appear to have too little resources to operate. On the other end of the spectrum, we may look like we have enough donations that there isn't really a need for more.

As we launch into our Groupon campaign (tomorrow!), we at Crisis Nursery decided that the best way for people to understand our services, mission, and need is to see it from the inside. I visited the Children's Shelter for the first time today, unsure of what to expect (as many others might be), and I ended up walking away with a strengthened desire to do everything I can for these kids.

The Children's Shelter is a combination of a dorm hall for those staying at the shelter and a full use classroom for all children under school age. In the morning, the children from both respite and shelter have breakfast. Respite is the term used for children that are only at the shelter during the day; "shelter" is designated for those who stay at night. The school-age children are separated from the underage (4 and under) and they are dressed and taken to a local school. The remaining children attend class at the shelter, where they work on developing themselves, growing, interacting with each other, and learning new concepts.

 

After their lesson with one of our teachers, they have group play. This provides them with a chance to bond and use their  imaginations. I first arrived during group play, and the children were immediately receptive. A few waved at me and one immediately grabbed my arm and wanted to show me their wooden fort. I was kindly told not to sit on one of the small foam couches, which was a bed for one of their friends there. Another child wanted me to go hunting for a rubber spider; their toy helicopter ended up being needed to save the day. Each child wanted me to watch them play, wanted to show off their toys, and wanted to talk about themselves.

The children, led by their caretakers, are warm and welcoming to anyone who visits. They all are fond of each other, as if they are all a second family. By the end of their playtime, they were instructed to clean up. While some were reluctant to part with their dinosaurs, everyone chipped in. They were all fond of their two caretakers as well, who talked to them on their level but always made sure the kids were safe, polite, and practicing their manners. Later, I talked to one of the caretakers, who said that he had been working for Crisis Nursery for 11 years because he loved being a "professional parent" to them. Providing services and improving lives is more than part of our mission statement - it's what drives each person at the Shelter, in FACES, at Foster Care, and at Healthy Families.

 

Tomorrow we launch on Groupon. Each donation made there goes completely to Crisis Nursery's Children's Shelter, which will be used to feed and provide services to these and other kids. As we launch, we will be posting more about my trip to the Shelter, the typical day there, and on who provides these opportunities for these children.

If you haven't yet, sign up for Groupon, validate your account, register under Phoenix, keep a look out for our posts tomorrow, and spread the word. You can also keep track of us as we attempt to reach our goal through our statuses/tweets on Facebook and on Twitter. Thank you again for your commitment to Crisis Nursery!