PROGRAM M I N G VO L UN T EER ACTIVITIE S
CO RPO RATE PA R
2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5 I M PAC T R E P ORT
M AK ING A DI F F E R E NCE
J OY O F PLAY
SUPP ORTIVE REL ATI O
MA KING C ONNEC T I ON S
®
through Bright
Spaces
PA RT
NC
O RT
R EL AT
AND
UNT E
ACTIV
RTN
N CE
PL AY
N SH
OGR
VO LU
RP O
GA
DI F FE
SU
PS
A ND PROG R A M M I NG VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIE S
CO RP ORAT
M AK ING A DI F F E R E NCE
J OY O F PLAY
SUPP ORTIVE REL ATI O
E RVI
G
CO
PA RT
NC
O RT
R EL AT
AND
UNT E
AC T IV
RTN
NCE
PL AY
NSH
O GR
VOLU
RPO
GA
DI F FE
SU
PS
A ND
NTE
O RAT
M AK I
J
O
L ATI O
E RVICE S AN D P RO G R A M MING VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
CO
PA RTN E R S M A K I N G A D I F F ERENCE
JOY OF PLAY
SUPPO RT
R EL ATIO N S H I PS
S E RV I C ES AND PROGRAMMING VO L UNT E
AC T IVIT I E S
C O R P O R AT E PARTNERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
In this report, we
look back on two
years of MAKING
CONNECTIONS,
a theme reflecting
many months of
inspiring, building, and
reaching out into our communities to help
children and families in need.
Since 1999, not only have we grown
the program into more than 300 Bright
Spaces® operating across 39 states and in
the UK and Ireland, but we’ve transformed
Bright Spaces to hubs of activity where
children can heal from trauma through
play; families can build stronger bonds
with each other; our agency partners
can provide programming in a childfriendly environment; our client partners
can deepen their corporate social
responsibility efforts in their communities;
and Bright Horizons® employees can
engage in volunteer opportunities that
have a direct and meaningful impact on
Mission Statement:
people in need. Through the Bright Spaces
program, we’re forging connections that
allow us to support and engage more
people, share knowledge and create
opportunities, and as a result, broaden the
impact and reach of our resources and
expertise.
As we create our next generation of
Bright Spaces, the connections made
have become integral to the work of
our agency partners, helping them make
lasting change for the children and youth
in their care. I hope you’ll be as inspired
as I am by the many stories of people
touched by the Foundation. I look forward
to another year of working together to
make our communities a little brighter.
Sincerely,
Gary O’Neil
Chairman
Bright Horizons Foundation for Children
The Bright Horizons Foundation for Children® is a nonprofit organization focused on brightening the
lives of children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness and other crises. We do this by
creating and supporting Bright Spaces; warm, safe, enriching spaces in homeless shelters and other
agencies for children and youth to build caring relationships, heal from trauma through play, and
experience the joy of childhood. The Foundation believes that we can make the world a better
place by engaging Bright Horizons’ employees, clients, families, friends, and community partners to
strengthen families, support our communities, share our knowledge, and encourage others to join
us in making a difference.
www.brighthorizonsfoundation.org
IMPACT REPORT | 2
CHILDREN CONNECTING TO THE JOY OF
PLAY TO HEAL FROM TRAUMA
Childhood play, including simply talking, laughing, and sharing memories and feelings, is crucial for
healing from trauma. Science has shown that play expands neural structures to allow for improved
cognition, self-regulation, and social-emotional development.
Nathan, age 10, likes to play in the Bright Space in the shelter
where he lives. He finds that hanging out in the Bright
Space makes it easier to make friends with others, especially
volunteers. He often talks to them about “stuff that happens
at school and how I feel.” The Bright Space has made a
difference for Nathan.
Partnership with TODAY Show Leads
to Critical Bright Space — Vibrant,
Remarkable Connections
“What it means to be homeless is to be at the bottom of society’s class and having nowhere to go.”
– Dominique, a child experiencing homelessness at the Bushwick Family Residence.
Dominique is one of more than 2.5 million children in this country who are without a home.
Thanks to an appearance on TODAY, the Bright Space program was able to put a face on this
critical challenge and to bring this important cause to a much broader audience. Working together
with co-host Willie Geist (who featured the Bright Space as his “Shine a Light Project”), the
Foundation partnered with viewers from across the U.S. , Bright Horizons, and The Home Depot
Foundation to transform an outdated recreation room at the Bushwick Family Residence in
Brooklyn into a vibrant Bright Space that families could enjoy.
IMPACT REPORT | 4
FAMILIES CONNECTING TO ONE
ANOTHER TO BUILD STRONGER, SUPPORTIVE
RELATIONSHIPS
Nurturing and stable family relationships are critical for children to thrive emotionally and physically.
Relaxing together helps families build these important relationships and strengthen essential
family bonds.
Finding herself experiencing homelessness as a single
mom with no close family was scary for Jess. With
the help of the shelter and its Bright Space, she and
her daughter get through it day by day. They will soon
move into transitional housing. Jess dreams of going to
college to become a social
worker. “It’s never too late,”
she says.
Bright Spaces opened
in 2014
17
© David Johnson, Art Start Family Portrait Project
21
Bright Spaces opened
in 2015
260
Bright Spaces open
in the U.S.
39
States where
Bright Spaces are located
Sometimes the smiles on children’s faces DO TELL the whole
Bright Space story. Watch the creation of the Bright Space at the
Bushwick Family Residence in Brooklyn.
83,000
Children served
by a Bright Space in 2015
IMPACT REPORT | 5
BRIGHT HORIZONS EMPLOYEES
CONNECTING TO VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES IN
THEIR COMMUNITIES
Volunteers bring Bright Spaces to life; they also nurture and sustain these important spaces, making a
difference in the lives of children and families in the communities where they live and work.
2015 STATS
150
4,372
Brightening Lives Activities
Brightening Lives Activities
volunteers, including employees,
families, and children
5,372
children and families
impacted
A mom and daughter at
a Bright Space have fun
with recently donated
sock puppets, created
through a Brightening
Lives Activity.
IMPACT REPORT | 6
Brightening Lives Activities
Rolled Out in 2015
People want to make a difference, but so often, busy personal and
professional lives can make finding the time a challenge. That’s why in
2015, the Foundation created Brightening Lives Activities.
Our Brightening Lives Activities resource website provides ideas
and instructions for creating a fun event that engages people, takes
an hour or less to complete, and that can be done at home or at a
Bright Horizons child care center or worksite.
Connector Volunteer Sleeps on Street For One Night
Judy Desrosiers is the Center Director of the Bright Horizons Baldwin Park Child Care Center
near Orlando; she’s also a dedicated Connector for the Bright Space at nearby Covenant House, a
shelter for homeless youth. Connectors are lead volunteers that act as the communications liaison
between Bright Horizons volunteers and specific Bright Spaces.
As the Connector, Judy participated in Covenant House’s Sleep Out in November 2015. The
event, where people sleep on the street for a night, was eye-opening. Unlike some of the
homeless youth participating, she knew she was safe and the next day would return to a warm
home, job, and family.
Judy came away from the experience feeling less judgmental. “People can become homeless
through no fault of their own, especially youth,” she says. She plans to participate in another Sleep
Out and to continue working with the Bright Space at Covenant House.
Center Director and Connector volunteer Judy
Desrosiers installing flooring at the Covenant
House Bright Space
THE KEY RELATIONSHIP:
THE CONNECTOR
Agency and Bright Horizons
Connectors celebrate the opening
of a Bright Space together.
Building relationships with agency partners strengthens our Bright
Space program, increasing its effectiveness. Knowing this led to the
creation in 2014 of the “Connector Team.” Comprised of one person
each from the community agency and Bright Horizons, this important
team coordinates efforts and supports the relationship between all
who work on Bright Space projects. Connector relationships have
helped the Foundation create exciting new programming options such
as early intervention assessments, visiting rooms in home-like settings,
and parent/child interaction therapy to enrich the outcomes for
children and families in crisis.
IMPACT REPORT | 7
Understanding Trauma-Informed Care
in Bright Spaces
Children who experience trauma (e.g., homelessness, domestic violence, or household substance
abuse) are at serious risk for what is known by the American Academy of Pediatrics as “toxic
stress.” Toxic stress can disrupt brain development leading to long-term effects that can damage
children physically, emotionally, and intellectually for life.
The Foundation combines the child development expertise of Bright Horizons’ employee
volunteers with effective trauma-informed care approaches to mitigate the effects of toxic stress.
Play areas are calming and organized, offering a range of physical and dramatic play options while
avoiding a sense of disorder and over-stimulation.
Bright Spaces are also places to bond. For children who have been through traumatic experiences,
building supportive relationships is critical. In
a Bright Space, a child or youth can play, relax,
and bond with nurturing family members and
caregivers who provide security and stability.
Through family activities, parenting programs,
and other agency-delivered services, Bright
Spaces foster the building of caring relationships
and empower parents and children as a family.
AGENCIES CONNECTING SERVICES AND
PROGRAMMING TO CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Bright Spaces are caring places as well as hubs that connect programs to local support and enhance
agencies’ work with families.
“The Bright Space creation resulted in a child care space where
staff can begin the process of helping children to learn and grow,
and the space enables us to see the bonds they form with other
children, staff, and most importantly their mothers. It has been
amazing!”
Renata Alexis, Program Coordinator, Covenant House New York
Mother and Child Program
IMPACT REPORT | 8
ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES
In 2015, we piloted several projects to deepen and broaden the programming at Bright Spaces. These
exciting new programs include family game nights, art classes, literacy book bags, summer camp, and
other worthy enrichment programs. By including activities like celebrating birthdays and holidays, doing
homework or receiving tutoring, and spending time playing with parents and siblings, we also continue to
work to bring normalcy to a child’s routine.
HeadBanz at Family Game Night in a Bright Space in Akron, Ohio.
The Foundation partnered with Art Start in 2015 to bring art enrichment programming to
three of our Bright Spaces in New York City. The Family Portrait Project highlighted in this video
developed from that partnership.
The Future of Bright Spaces
Bright Spaces started as an idea: that beautiful play spaces
could bring comfort to children and families in need. Today,
with the help of our partners, Bright Spaces are more
intentionally created, allowing them to be carefully designed
to become vibrant hubs of activity that are essential places
for providing services and cultivating connections.
IMPACT REPORT | 9
CORPORATE PARTNERS CONNECTING TO
OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN THEIR COMMUNITY
Our Bright Space partners understand the value of being socially responsible.
Partner Profile: WellStar Health System
When the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children connected WellStar
Health System to the Cherokee CASA in Georgia, a wonderful Bright
Space was created.
The WellStar Family Time Visitation Center, created at The Children’s Haven for abused children
in coordination with CASA, is today a place for supervised parental visits with foster children.
The warm, homey environment includes a full
working kitchen, dining room, and living room
“It’s incredible to have the opportunity to
filled with child-appropriate toys and play
create a place where children and families
centers. Most important, it’s a safe, comfortable in Cherokee CASA can begin to build a life
environment for a child to engage with parents, well-lived together,” says Karen Mathews,
siblings, and extended family and keep bonded
WellStar Director of WorkLife Services.
attachments intact while they are in foster care.
“Before the Bright Space, visits were
happening in fast food restaurants –
what do you do with a three-year-old for
two hours in that type of environment?”
said Deirdre Hollands, Executive Director
of The Children’s Haven.
WellStar Health System is the largest not-for-profit health system in
Georgia and serves a population of more than 1.4 million residents
in five counties. It is a Bright Space sponsor through the Foundation’s
Champions for Children program.
IMPACT REPORT | 10
Bright Horizons Foundation for Children is deeply grateful to the many generous
partners who support our work.
We appreciate our partners who donated $1,000 or more in 2014-2015.
Alexander Wolf & Son
American Express Foundation
American Personnel, Inc.
Amgen Foundation
APC Services, LLC
B.R. Fries and Associates
Belfor Property Restoration
BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina
Bright Horizons Family Solutions
Bunson Family Foundation
Carrickmore P&D, LLC
Collective Architecture, LLC
Commodore Builders
Consolidated Marketing Services
Construction Management & Builders
Corporate Realty Management
Coverall North America, Inc.
CSC
Empire Recreation
Englewood Construction
Environ International Corporation
Environetics Group Architects, P.C.
Essensa Ventures, LLC
Family Support Services
FDC Foundation
Florence Electric, LLC
FTG Technologies
Goldman Sachs & Co.
H.T. Berry Company, Inc.
HAI Group
Hillmann Group
Holt Construction
HVAC Engineering
Ingram Customer Care
Ingram Industries, Inc. through
the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
JP LaRue, Inc.
Kaplan Construction
kettlebells4kids
L.C. Anderson, Inc.
Landscape Structures, Inc.
Langer & McLaughlin
Liberation Programs, Inc.
March of Dimes Foundation
Merck Partnership for Giving
Michael Lindstrom Associates Architects, LLC
Microsoft Matching Gifts
Mom’s Best Friend
Morrissey Construction, Corp.
MResult Corp
Office Lease
Omni Commercial Group, Inc.
Parallax Consulting, LLC
Patcraft
People’s Emergency Center
Pepper Construction
Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc.
Pottery Barn Kids
Premier Park & Play
Presidio
Protection One
Robert S. Fers, Inc.
Rojo Architecture
SAB Architects, Inc.
Society for Creative Anachronism
Structure Tone, Inc.
Swinerton Builders
T. Duffy & Associates, Inc.
Terminix Commercial
The Home Depot Foundation
Toshiba Business Solutions
Ultiplay Parks and Playgrounds, Inc.
University of Phoenix
VanHimbergen Family Foundation through
the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Waste Focus, LLC
WB Mason
Weis Builders, Inc.
WellStar Health System
WG Project Management
Wind Stream
Yum! Brands Foundation, Inc.
Zurich North America
IMPACT REPORT | 11
Bright Horizons Foundation for Children is deeply grateful to the many generous
partners who support our work.
We appreciate our additional partners who donated up to $999 in 2014-2015.
9 ate 7 Productions
AFM, Inc.
AIG
All In One Construction
Allan Industries, Inc.
Allstate
Althoff Industries
Applebee’s
AT&T Employee Giving Campaign
Beale’s, LLC
Bend Properties, LLC
The Benevity Community Impact Fund
The Benfield Group, LLC
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Book Vine for Children
Boston Research Technologies
Bravelets, LLC
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
The Brittany Project
Calvary Chapel of Nederland
Capital Group Co.
Comfort/Plus, Inc.
Computer Whoesalers, Inc.
Construction Consulting Services
Creative Office Pavilion
CustomInk Campaigns
D & J Contracting, Inc
David & Diane Toole Foundation
Elge Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc.
Exchange Press, Inc.
The Fred Rogers Company
Freecause, Inc
General Reinsurance Corporation
Gentle Giant
Great Place to Work Institute
Green-Up Landscape, LLC
HCA Caring for the Community
HCS & Associates
Hearth and Home of Marin
Hockenbury Electrical Co., Inc.
Howell Construction, LLC
Jones Sign Co., Inc.
Kadence International
Lambda Chi Omega Sorority
Littler Employment and Labor Law Solutions
Littler Mendelson Foundation, Inc.
Lovesac
Mello Lander Building Group
New Moms, Inc.
NK Architects
The Pew Charitable Trusts Employee Matching Gifts Program
PG&E Corporation
Planeng, Inc.
Project Management Services, Inc.
Prudential Foundation
Roosevelt University
Salesforce.com Foundation
Sanofi-Aventis
Security Management Partners
Soros Fund Charitable Foundation
Spark Maintenance & Remodeling, LLC
Stratix Corp
Tailwind Voice & Data
TerraCycle, Inc.
Winco Window Coverings
Join our partners to build more Bright Spaces!
Our dream is for every Bright Space to be the
place where children and families in crisis can
find the safety and opportunity they deserve to
experience enriching childhoods and strengthen
the well-being of their families.
Contact us at:
[email protected]
for more information
or visit:
www.brighthorizonsfoundation.org
to make a donation.
We honor our partners and regret if we have made any errors or omissions. If we have, please contact
[email protected]. A correction will be made to the partner list on the online version of this report.
105 Westwood Place, Suite 125, Brentwood, TN 37027 615-238-6050