GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Children’s Healing Center in Grand Rapids is putting their love and support on paper.
The center started a “Paper Chain of Support” on October 10, which is World Mental Health Day, and displayed the chain around the 7,000 square foot building Thursday morning.
Each link of the paper chain represents the community of supporters standing with the center to help break the bonds of loneliness and isolation which many members and their families can face.
This challenge also encourages businesses and community members to post a photo of themselves wearing green on social media, tag the center and use hashtag “#CHC1010.”
For every post made, a green paper link gets added to the chain.
Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing built the chain for the center.
“It was really incredible really to see everyone just kind of come together and really participate in something that’s so important. Mental health is such an important thing for everyone and the unique journey that our members travel is just a really important thing for them to be able to know that they are lifted up and supported by the community,” Melissa Block, the director of development and growth and the center, explained to FOX 17.
Children’s Healing Center has worked to serve as a safe space for children experiencing a complicated medical diagnosis and their families since 2015.
The goal is to allow families to gather safely to experience the healing power of play and access a community with similar experiences.
“Experiencing a complicated medical diagnosis can often perpetuate feelings of loneliness for children and adults. Through this project, we hope to show our families a warm embrace from community members, who are a crucial component in our recipe for fun,” Autumn Haan, the center’s executive director for West Michigan, added. “We believe play is the facilitator of friendships and support, so what better way to show that than to create a good old fashioned paper chain.”
Children’s Healing Center is the first recreation center in the country dedicated to children with weakened immune systems.
