Every child deserves to feel safe, supported, and seen. Though National Kids Day, celebrated this year on June 8, may have passed by the time you read this, the thought remains just as important—and just as urgent.
At Methodist Family Health Foundation, our mission is to provide critical resources to children experiencing trauma and struggling with their mental health. We believe that we need to meet basic needs before a client can focus on healing. Just like how a hungry child cannot focus in school, a person who has experienced trauma is better equipped to work on their mental health when they are given all the support to do so—art therapy to process hard-to-communicate emotions, hygiene products for basic dignity, camp as a place to learn new skills and build community, birthday presents to feel remembered and loved.
Whether a child is coping with the trauma of abuse, navigating the challenges of foster care, or living with behavioral and emotional disorders, they are not alone. And neither are their families.
National Kids Day isn’t just a calendar event. It’s a call to action. It’s a reminder to pause and ask: What are we doing to care for the most vulnerable among us? To give them the hope they all deserve.
In Arkansas and beyond, thousands of children live without consistent access to mental health services or safe, loving environments. Methodist Family Health works tirelessly to change that through therapy, crisis stabilization, and residential care for children whose needs cannot be met in traditional settings. The Foundation supports MFH clients by providing the “extras” mentioned above because we know healing happens best with love and support.
But we can’t do this work alone.
Even if June 8 is behind us, the spirit of National Kids Day lives on in our daily choices. Spend meaningful time with the children in your life—listen to their stories, encourage their dreams, and remind them how deeply they are loved. And, if you can, please support organizations like ours that are helping children who may not hear those words nearly enough.
Please take the time to learn more about our work or to make a gift that helps us serve the children who need it most.
Let’s show every child they matter—not just one day a year, but every single day.
