Smile Stories - Smilezone Foundation

Children

Staff

"Our clinic sees a very diverse group of children, youth and families and the resulting Smilezone impact has been huge. Our newcomer, Black, Indigenous and racialized families, families of children who are neurodiverse and have disabilities, and babies, children and youth who have been in and out of hospitals with complex care needs and overwhelmed caregivers, are at various levels of trust in our medical system and in us. Coming into this space, seeing the bright colours, neutral designs, and most importantly, seeing that this clinic has been designed with their children in mind, helps set the stage to build and rebuild engagement and trust with healthcare providers. This work has made a difference. Thank you! "

MarisaProgram Director at St Michael's Hospital

"At Season’s Centre, we meet children who are in every stage grief and going through something that most of us can’t even imagine. It doesn’t cost a thing to families to have a child participate at Season’s Centre which is why everything SmileZone did for the centre is extra special. The medical room was given a complete face lift. Some of the participants at Season’s spent time in hospitals and clinics with their loved ones and don’t necessarily want to ever go back to a hospital. The medical room is now warm, welcoming and fun with bright colours and cartoon animals on the walls. It is one of the places where I spend the most time with the kids. The room helps them open up about what the hospitals and clinics were like and I believe allowing them to dress up and create scenarios where they have helped someone who is sick or injured is so important to their grieving process. The art room at Season’s was also redone and includes a super fun “dry erase” wall. Allowing participates to write and create on the walls is a great outlet for anger and a neat tool to have. From the moment you start walking up the stairs; SmileZone has brought vibrant colours and even the familiar face of the Barrie Colts mascot Charlie Horse to the Centre. It is something appreciated by everyone who walks into Season’s Centre."

KaitlinVolunteer Grief Facilitator

"The kids LOVE the bright purple wall with the super fun paintings; they love the animals and the hockey. The whiteboard walls in the craft room are super cool and the kids took to writing on it right away; they love it! Seeing the kids’ reactions and how much they liked the renovations puts a smile on my face. It is so important to have a space that children love and feel comfortable in because it provokes the sharing of difficult and challenging experiences encountered by our families. Talking about death is very heavy – having child-friendly rooms lightens up the environment and creates the space for our participants to share their stories and work through their grief. I personally love the new renos! Everything looks bright, fresh, and fun. The matching rice table and art table in the craft room makes the Centre look a little more put together. The hospital room is so bright and fun; it makes working out our grief in that room less intimidating. Smilezone did an amazing job!”

Danielle CoatesBSW, RSW - Program Assistant

"Smilezone has created such a warm and inviting space not only for our families here at Wordplay/Jeux de mots, but for our staff as well. It’s so lovely to walk in to work every morning and be greeted by all of the adorable animals now on our walls. I work with families with new born babies who often come in to their appointment feeling anxious or worried. With this new space I find parents to be much more relaxed as they are immediately put at ease with the inviting colours and playful murals. The new space continually receives beautiful comments from families and often creates great conversations during our appointments. Smilezone did such a great job incorporating the values and interest of our community, making our families feel more at home. The whole process and experience with the Smilezone team was seamless and so much fun. No words can describe how appreciative our team is to Smilezone for the beautiful transformation."

Morgan Methé Infant Hearing Screener, Wordplay/Jeux de mots

Family

"We started visiting KidsAbility earlier this year for my 18-month-old daughter, as she was not hitting the speech and language milestones expected for a child of her age. Along with us came our rambunctious, curious 6-year-old son. Both children settled in right away in the lobby of KidsAbility. They loved exploring the space and in particular, spent a lot of time with the “magic floor.” They were amazed at the ever-changing display on the floor and their ability to kick the leaves, reveal the hidden dog, or cause ripples in the water. It was great that both kids could enjoy the space so much! My son even felt such an affinity for KidsAbility that he chose to donate all of his “giving” money at the annual radiation this spring."

Parent of a child at KidsAbility Centre for Child Development

"This gym (a CTC gym) is different, so it should look different. It should look amazing, and now, with these wonderful bright colours and beautiful paintings, it does look amazing. And that’s important – because amazing things happen here. In this place, with the help and guidance of incredible therapists, children learn to do the things that so many of us take for granted…with a lot of hard work, they may learn to roll over, to sit up, they may learn to crawl, to stand, maybe they learn to use a walker or a wheelchair or maybe they learn to walk. Thank you to Smilezone and to the therapists and staff here at the CTC who are so dedicated and determined to give our children every opportunity to reach their potential – whatever that might be – in a beautiful environment."

Parent of NEO Kids patient

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