Building blocks, art supplies, and books: standard equipment in most preschools and elementary schools, but, thanks to two non-profit organizations, a Hyannis homeless shelter will also be able to provide some creative playtime.   

Horizons for the Homeless, which, according to its website, is “…an independent, non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to serving young homeless children and their families,” began the Playspace Program in 1990, with the goal to “make healthy play possible for children living in shelters.”

More than 1,400 trained volunteers (PAL’s: Playspace Activity Leaders) donate their time each week in approximately 140 family shelters in Massachusetts, giving young homeless children opportunities to build social, physical, cognitive and creative skills through play.

Why play?  Because play is serious business. 

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “play is essential to development because it contributes to the cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children and youth.”

But more and more, states the site, playtime “is challenged by forces including child labor and exploitation practices, war and neighborhood violence, and the limited resources available to children living in poverty.”

Integral to bringing a new Playspace to Hyannis is the Luke Vincent Powers Foundation.  Co-founder Suzanne Powers is excited: “Our current project for a Playspace in a Hyannis shelter is scheduled to be fully funded by April. Horizons for Homeless Children will select the shelter most in need and we will begin construction/renovation as early as May.”

The Luke Vincent Powers Foundation began as a result of tragedy.  As Powers (and her husband, Bill) explain on the homepage of their website, “On November 22, 2000, our baby boy Luke was taken from us . . . abruptly and tragically due to medical error. Through the painstaking heartache and our Faith that he is in the hands of God, we have vowed to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children everywhere . . . in his name.”

When the Powers’ began their non-profit, all-volunteer organization in 1993, their efforts first supported the Children’s Cove, for sexually abused children and their families and for which they raised more than $60,000. 

After receiving a heartfelt letter from a grandmother writing on behalf of her grandson, who has cerebral palsy, the Powers’ knew what their next project would be.

In 2006, the Luke Vincent Powers Foundation began the Luke’s Love: A Boundless Playground project, for which it has garnered much attention. 

Located at the Lombard Field off of Route 149 in West Barnstable, the playground opened in August 2010.  It is one of 160 in the country initiated by the National Center for Boundless Playgrounds,  and is designed to bring awareness to and serve the needs of disabled youth. 

Phase two, which involves heavy fundraising for sponsorship signage, benches, brick pathways and a solar trash and recycling compactor, will be complete by spring 2011.

“My husband and I personally host an Annual Memorial Fundraiser each November,” Powers said.  “And 100% of the proceeds go to a pre-selected program/project that serves the needs of disadvantage kids on the Cape.”

For more information on the Horizons for Homeless Children, please visit their website: http://www.horizonsforhomelesschildren.org/.

For more information about the Luke Vincent Powers Foundation, please visit their website: http://www.lukeslove.org/