Helping vulnerable children everyday at Kids Kottage

(EJNews) – We know how difficult it can be to imagine a homeless child, or a child that has been neglected, left to go hungry, or affected by a violent home. At Kids Kottage, we don’t have to imagine these children, because we see them every day, holding the hands of their parents who are too overwhelmed, too sick, too alone, or unable to provide the necessities their children need. These are the children who stay with us for up to 72 hours, safe and warm at the Kottage, with nutritious food in their little bellies and new friends to play with and new playrooms to explore, while we help their parents face their crisis situations head on and come up with a plan to make home safe again.

This isn’t all we see at the Kottage, however. We also see the huge impact that our generous supporters and volunteers have on the lives of the children who come to stay with us for a while. We see this impact every time we help a little one dress for the day, or sit with them at breakfast. We see it as those little faces light up at play time, scaling our climber outside or exploring our playrooms inside. We see it at lunch time, as they realize that they get to eat again today, and then at snack and dinner time too. We see it at bath time, as we help scrub between toes and behind ears, and we see it at bed time, as we tuck little ones in on their first night away from home. We see it as we rock babies to sleep while the sun goes down.

We see it in each exhausted mother’s face as we reassure her that she doesn’t have to do this alone anymore. We aren’t there to judge – we are there to help, to talk, to support her through whatever she is facing. And most of all, we see this huge impact as our little guests get to go home again, holding Mom’s hand and reassured that home is safe again, knowing that if things ever get bad again, someone at Kids Kottage will be waiting with a warm smile and a bed and a cuddly blanket to keep them warm.

At Kids Kottage, we believe that every child should be safe. And with your help, we can continue to be a safe haven for all vulnerable Edmonton area families and their children. Please visit us at kidskottage.org or call 780-448-1752 for more information.