June Newsball 2018
Playing Catch-Up with the Life is Good Playmakers
Summer in New England comes out of nowhere. By the time we finally get around to packing away our boots and gloves, we’re only about four or five weeks away from hearing those dreaded back to school ads. Though, writing as a Dad of three, I almost look forward to them around that time.
Each February, my family and I talk about all the fun stuff we’re going to do when the weather gets warm. After shoveling snow, we romanticize about shoveling sand, weekend getaways, hikes, rafting adventures, picnics in the park, waterslides, road trips, camping, cookouts, fishing, lounging at the beach, eating fried clams and ice cream, watching sunsets, and the list goes on. Seriously, sometimes we make a list.
Last August I found the list that we made from the previous February. I wish I could say that we checked off all the boxes, but we weren’t even close. Luckily, we still had a couple of weeks of summer left and, in the end, checked off about 67.66%. (Quick side note: Did you know that 95.4% of all statistics are made up on the spot?)
This summer is going to be different. Instead of simply making a list, we put together a plan. Lately, I’ve been paying more attention to the power of planning and one pearl of wisdom that’s stayed with me is: “A goal without a plan is simply a wish.”
We can do better than wish.
So, our plan is to make the summer of 2018 the most joyful, loving, inspiring, and empowering summer ever! We put some dates on the calendar and even made a few advanced reservations.
Who’s with us? Whatdaya say? LET’S GOOOOOOOOOO!
Summer is short. Life is, too. Plan for fun. Execute the plan. Savor. Repeat. Oh, and don’t forget the sunscreen and to stay hydrated.
Love & Peace,
Steve Gross, MSW
Chief Playmaker, Life is Good Playmakers
GOOD PROGRESS
Our Work in the Field
Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston
For many years, the LiGP has provided retreats, tools, and ongoing coaching for the leaders and professionals serving more than 17,000 kids through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston. This month, as many of those professionals began putting together actions plans for summer camps, the LiGP facilitated an advanced session of our signature Playmaker Program. We helped leaders at BGCB discover ways to intentionally foster more optimism, collaboration, and FUN into the processes and strategies that make camp even more memorable for thousands of kids and hundreds of staff members.
Good Start With Head Start
On June 12 we facilitated an LiGP retreat for 100 leaders from the Child & Family Outcomes Group at the Minnesota Head Start Association. The retreat guided care professionals through the devastating impacts of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and showcased the science behind the critical importance of responsive relationships with adult caregivers. Participants walked away with an understanding of how the personal and professional development of caregivers is critical to the healthy social, emotional, and cognitive development of our kids.
Caring for Caregivers
UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital is widely regarded as one of the best hospitals in the country and credits its continued success with the staff’s focus on family-centered care. As an organization and a team of individual professionals, they recognize the vital role that the entire family, all caregivers, as well as the providers play in delivering the highest quality of care to pediatric patients. To help their staff continue to cultivate their best disposition, UCLA Mattel Children’s has launched a Deep Impact Partnership with the LiGP. Our partnership officially kicked off this month with an on-site two-day intensive LiGP retreat led by our founder, Steve Gross for more than 40 leaders from the hospital’s nursing staff.
GOOD GROWTH
Our Work to Raise Support
Flower Power
The next time you’re looking to spread good vibes through flowers, consider the Life is Good Collection from Benchmark Bouquets. You can order through Amazon (prime eligible) and every bouquet helps kids heal. So far this year, these flowers have raised more than $28,000 to support the LiGP work in schools, hospitals, and social service agencies across the U.S. and Haiti. We are deeply grateful for Benchmark Bouquets and for the optimists who choose to grow the good through our Life is Good flowers.
Giving Tee
This month, Bert Jacobs, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Optimist of Life is Good, shared the full story behind our mission to “spread the power of optimism,” at annual gatherings for Waddell & Reed Financial and DocuSign. In each address Bert described how he and his brother John approached this venture as a way to have fun, do well, AND fuel significant social change. He also wrapped the true story behind Life is Good and the Life is Good Playmakers with an invitation to be a part of our optimistic movement by making an on-site donation and receiving a limited-edition Life is Good tee with our thanks. Between both events more than $120,000 was raised! Thank you Waddell & Reed and DocuSign!
Tools, Time and Resources
Each year approximately 40,000 individuals make additional gifts to the Life is Good Playmakers. Some add a donation while shopping Life is Good online. Some click our “Donate” button. Some give after hearing from our founders. Many send checks, “just because.” Those gifts ranging from $5 to $150,000 add up – and thanks to each and every one the LiGP is able to offer signature retreats, robust tools, and ongoing coaching to more than 10,000 childcare professionals (who we call Playmakers) working in schools, hospitals, and social service agencies. This month thanks to individual support the LiGP launched our newly designed online Resource Hub (for those 10,000 Playmakers) stocked with original content, vetted research, and many tactical tools and takeaways for creating optimal environments for kids to learn, grow, and thrive.
GOOD PEOPLE
Our Playmakers
THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA
Just about anyone who has seen the images of terrified children being separated from their parents and caregivers at the border has been sickened and deeply saddened. This is not a political issue. This is a human issue. This is a public health issue.
It is well documented that when young children are suddenly separated from their primary caregivers their brains produce toxic levels of stress chemicals. It has also been proven by the U.S. Center for Disease Control that toxic stress in young children can lead to chronic illness, disease, disability, and shortened life expectancy. We can only speculate as to how greatly this toxic stress reaction is exacerbated by the fact that these separations are occurring in a foreign land, where some children might not even have the language to say they’re scared and alone. These traumatic separations are, quite literally, “poisoning” the developing brains of all children involved.
Any policy that mandates the separation of young children from their parents, without providing adequate social and emotional supports, must realize the inherent risk of doing so. Policymakers must determine if they are to be complicit in creating life-threatening conditions for these children.
The public outcry over the inhumane treatment of children in recent weeks has—for the moment at least—led to changes in policy as to how we will treat families, including those who may have crossed our borders illegally. We are grateful for all of the loving, compassionate, and courageous people who made their voices heard on this matter. Sadly, it took a horrific chain of events to bring this issue into focus for most people. But we know this issue is not a new one.
For the last decade, the Life is Good Playmakers have worked with a number of shelters for unaccompanied minors. Just recently, our team completed a pair of two-day intensive workshops for staff working with detained, unaccompanied minors. The goal of these workshops is to support shelter staff as they try—amidst impossibly difficult circumstances—to create safe, supportive, engaging, and even joyful environments for the children in their care.
We are optimistic that our country will continue to work toward undoing the mistakes we have made. That doesn’t change the fact that it will take several months before parents and children are no longer systematically separated at the border. It bears repeating that it will be extremely difficult to reunite the families who have already been torn apart. The trauma will continue, no matter how we correct our policies.
While we can’t prevent this, the work that our Playmakers are doing at these shelters can at least mitigate some of the devastating consequences. Let’s not lose sight of these frontline heroes who are doing all they can to bring light to this difficult, dark time.
Peace & Love,
Steve Gross, MSW
Chief Playmaker, LiGP
GOT NEWS?
If you have news about a program, fundraiser, or event in support of The LiGP, let us know. We love hearing from you!
