Bringing mind-body healing tools to children in under-resourced communities across the Chicago area — and building a network of partners to make it possible.
Comfort Kits are totes that contain a few toys and items, as well as playful instructions for caregivers to guide children in the practice of skills that help re-regulate feelings and offer calm moments during chaotic times. They are part of psychological first aid, not therapy — but the skills have life-long value.
Each Comfort Kit is accompanied by online and printed expert guidance. If needed, a Zoom consultation can be scheduled for caregivers, relief workers, parents, and teachers to learn more about how to coach children through the items in the kit. The combination of tangible toys, time spent with an adult, playful instructions, and practice sessions promotes success — and allows a child to easily transition from extreme tension to a natural place of imagination, creativity, and fun. Once children engage with items in the Comfort Kit, they usually continue to play with them, having discovered how to create comfort for themselves.
Dr. Lisa Lombard, co-founder of Comfort Kits for Children, first began this initiative in support of children impacted by the war in Ukraine. People have been generous — typically asking "what can I do to help?" when they learn how many children have suffered. To date, over 1,000 kits have been sent to Ukraine and Poland, and the organization continues to update its curated behavioral health resources for children facing trauma.
Dr. Lombard had anticipated supporting children in Chicagoland, but this commitment crystallized and took on urgency after the Uvalde, Buffalo, and Highland Park mass shootings in 2022. While volunteering in Highland Park, she witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of support, resources, and grief in the aftermath of traumatic events — and recognized that this level of response was unlikely to be available to under-resourced communities in Chicago, despite their similar emotional needs and experiences.
Consequently, she began reaching out to organizations who might partner with Comfort Kits to bring this healing tool to children across Chicagoland. Plans are forming to provide Comfort Kits to Chicago schools and their SEL programs, to medical providers, and to community partners like daycare centers. Civic organizations are collaborating to establish kit assembly and distribution as a service project benefiting their local communities.
If you and your group are interested in a service project to get Comfort Kits to children experiencing traumatic events in your community, we would love to hear from you.
Get in TouchWhether you want to donate, build kits, or distribute them — there is a role for your organization.