Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation Funds New Playground for 欧美AV鈥檚 Children鈥檚 Center
Fri, 11/17/2023 - 11:50am | By: Courtney Tesh
The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation has awarded a generous grant to The Children鈥檚 Center for Communication and Development at The University of Southern Mississippi (欧美AV) through the 欧美AV Foundation. These funds will be used to build a new playground on 欧美AV鈥檚 Hattiesburg campus.
The state-of-the-art, custom-designed playground will serve as an outdoor therapy space for children with complex communication needs and developmental disabilities who are currently receiving services from The Children鈥檚 Center and as an inclusive play space for children in the Hattiesburg region with and without disabilities.
The Children鈥檚 Center provides a wide range of services, including speech-language pathology, listening and spoken language therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, audiology, special instruction, and social work support, for 140 children in South Mississippi, all at no cost to their families. The playground at the Center鈥檚 Hattiesburg location serves an important role in the children鈥檚 therapy.
鈥淭he playground at The Children鈥檚 Center is much more than a playground,鈥� said Sarah Myers, Director at The Children鈥檚 Center. 鈥淭his outdoor space is not used as a break from a child鈥檚 therapy. On the contrary, when the space is set up to support it, it is an extremely effective therapy setting. In some cases, the playground is where we see the most progress in a child鈥檚 speech, motor, and social goals. What is more motivating than joining peers on the slide or asking a friend for a push on the swings?鈥�
Added Myers, 鈥淭his new playground, with its custom-tailored design and carefully chosen play equipment, will be the setting for countless milestones reached in the coming years. What a gift. We cannot overstate our excitement about this project or our gratitude for the generosity of our friends at the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation.鈥�
The Children鈥檚 Center also hosts inclusive play opportunities for children and families within the community. These play events will accommodate many more families and individuals, broadening the impact of these bi-annual events, thanks to the expanded and updated space provided through this grant.
The Children鈥檚 Center has already seen firsthand the impact of a playground designed with inclusion and therapy needs in mind. In 2020, the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation funded a new playground at the Center鈥檚 Gulf Park campus location and the impact of this outdoor therapy space has been immeasurable. The Center staff and families are grateful to benefit from the generosity of the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation once again and are excited to watch Center children thrive in this new space for years to come.
鈥淭he Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation is proud to provide The Children鈥檚 Center with an inclusive outdoor playground to encourage children of all abilities and their families to engage in fun interactive play,鈥� said Foundation Director Eugenia King. 鈥淪tudies show there are a variety of health benefits through both therapeutic and unstructured play, including physical, sensory and cognitive development and social and emotional well-being.鈥�
About The Children鈥檚 Center for Communication and Development
The Children鈥檚 Center for Communication and Development at The University of Southern Mississippi is a non-profit that provides cost-free communicative and developmental transdisciplinary services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers while educating, training, and supporting families, university students and professionals.
About the 欧美AV Foundation
Founded in 1959, the 欧美AV Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to serving the University community by overseeing fundraising efforts to raise private support for scholarships and other academic needs at Southern Miss.
For more information on supporting Southern Miss, call the at 601.266.5210.
About Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation
The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation has a vision for a healthy Mississippi and provides leadership and targeted grant funding for sustainable initiatives and programs to improve the overall health and well-being of Mississippians. Learn more about how the is building a healthy Mississippi.