Comfort Kits in action around the world

New resources for families coping with immigration enforcement

In response to increased immigration enforcement activity across the country, Comfort Kits for Children has added a dedicated resource page to help parents and caregivers support children who are experiencing fear, anxiety, and disruption related to ICE activity in their communities. The resources include guidance on talking to children about immigration enforcement, mind-body practices to help children manage anxiety, and links to legal and community support organizations.

View the resources →

Love Rises creates 300 handmade toy sets for Comfort Kits

The social enterprise Love Rises, supported by the Women's Opportunity Fund of Ukraine and Project Kesher, produced 300 handmade "Finger Theater" toy sets for the Comfort Kits initiative. The toys were lovingly crafted by internally displaced women from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and distributed to children spending time in shelters across Ukraine.

Read more on Project Kesher's website →

Virtual training and 50 kits donated to pediatric oncology team in Chile

Dr. Lisa Lombard and Dr. Cheryl Bemel conducted a virtual training for the pediatric integrative oncology care team at Sanatorio Alemán in Chile, led by Dr. Roberto Campos Jeldres, Head of the Pediatric Emergency Department. Fifty Comfort Kits were donated to the team to support children undergoing cancer treatment.

Staff training and nearly 50 kits donated to Chicago Survivors

We conducted staff training and donated nearly 50 Comfort Kits to chicagosurvivors.org, an organization that supports survivors of violent crime in Chicago and their families.

10 kits donated to Minneapolis community after Annunciation school shooting

Following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, we donated 10 Comfort Kits to community members directly impacted by the tragedy, to help children and families begin to process and heal.

Project Kesher brings Comfort Kits to Kyiv-based families

On January 19, Project Kesher Ukraine held a seminar for mothers and children at the Halom Jewish Community Center in Kyiv as part of the Comfort Kits project. Ukrainian psychologist Maryna Zinchenko guided participants through the six Comfort Mind-Body practices, helping families manage anxiety and fear amid ongoing attacks. Mothers and children received Comfort Kits and participated eagerly, sharing experiences and finding strength in community.

Read more on Project Kesher's website →

Collaboration with Project Kesher

We have been collaborating with Project Kesher, an all-Ukrainian public women's Jewish organization, to get Comfort Kits to Ukrainian children. Project Kesher distributes the kits to those in need and provides guidance on using the kits for emotional first aid.

Fundraising for Grief and Trauma Summer Camp in Ukraine

We raised money with our partner organization First Aid of the Soul to provide Comfort Kits to families attending a grief and trauma camp in Ukraine. Between 100 and 150 children and parents received kits to learn mind-body practices for managing anxiety, pain, and trauma. The camp also trained Ukrainian counselors for sustainability and scalability.

Comfort Kits for Maui

In the wake of the devastating Maui wildfires, we partnered with psychologists in Hawaii to send Comfort Kits to children of first responders on Maui.

NPHTI Board Member brings Comfort Kits to Ukraine

Dr. Lynn Gershan, member of the NPHTI Board of Directors, visited Ukraine and distributed Comfort Kits at the Lviv General School of Oriental Languages and Martial Arts "Budokan," pictured here with the school psychologist.

Comfort Kits mentioned in Children First Fund newsletter

Comfort Kits for Children was featured in the end-of-year newsletter from the Children First Fund, the foundation of Chicago Public Schools, recognizing our support of SEL skills for students in the local community.

~200 Comfort Kits sent to children in Turkey after earthquakes

Thanks to generous donors, we assembled around 200 Comfort Kits distributed to children in Turkey affected by the earthquakes, accompanied by a new Turkish translation of our Feel Better Skills.

New resources in Arabic and Turkish

In response to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, we added new resources in Arabic and Turkish to help families in the aftermath. Our Feel Better Skills were translated into Turkish and made available as a downloadable PDF.

One year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine — 1,000+ kits sent

On the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we marked the milestone of having sent over 1,000 Comfort Kits to children affected by the war in Ukraine — assembled, shipped, and distributed through the generosity of our donors and partners.

$15,000 in donations raised

Comfort Kits reached a major milestone: over $15,000 raised in donations, all going directly to purchasing totes and items for kits and sending them to children coping with trauma.

Comfort Kits for Children becomes a registered nonprofit

Comfort Kits for Children received its official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, formalizing its mission to provide mind-body healing tools to children around the world.

Mentioned by the American Psychological Association

The Comfort Kit Initiative was featured in the APA's July 1 "Hot List" — a list of resources, opportunities, and news published monthly for psychologists.

More kits arrive — this time assembled by volunteers in Minnesota

A second batch of Comfort Kits arrived in Ukraine, donated and assembled by volunteers in Minnesota, and sent to a school in Chelm, Poland, attended by dozens of Ukrainian refugee children.

First batch of Comfort Kits arrives in Ukraine

Our first batch of Comfort Kits arrived in Ukraine, received by Lidiia who distributed them to school psychologists working with children in shelters in Lviv.

Second batch assembled with help from Rush University

Our second batch of kits was assembled with the help of Julie Collins, Nadine Lerret, and their students at Rush University — headed to Ukrainian children.

$4,000 raised in first weeks

In our first weeks of fundraising, our DonorBox raised over $4,000 — a remarkable show of early support that allowed us to begin assembling and shipping kits immediately.

First 140 Comfort Kits assembled near Chicago

Our very first batch of 140 Comfort Kits was assembled near Chicago and headed to Lviv, Ukraine, to help children affected by the war — the beginning of everything.