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THE FUN-RAISEr
Urban Mobile Playground
(A HoH-Share Inc. Project)
By Kids,
For Kids.
The Fun-Raiser Urban Mobile Playground is a decked out, kid painted, bright yellow box truck equipped with items like hula-hoops, hopper balls, bubbles, yoga mats, stilts, chalk, dress-up, fort building,frisbee-golf , kites, corn hole, trains and legos, life size pick-up-sticks, art supplies and imaginative play items, safety cones and energetic dance music to keep everyone movin' and groovin' in a trauma informed environment that makes sure that everyone is safe and included! Our Play Stops are made BY KIDS, FOR KIDS!
The Fun-Raiser Urban Mobile Playground was the brain child of a group of youth from East Wheeling who wanted to help kids of the Ohio Valley have access to free, safe, fun and creative play places that used trauma informed principles.* The children then asked youth from South Wheeling, the Island, Hil-Dar, and more to join them in making the idea of “The Fun-Raiser Urban Mobile Playground” a reality.
*Trauma Informed Principles
Safety.
Trustworthiness & transparency.
Peer support.
Collaboration & mutuality.
Empowerment & choice.
Cultural, historical & gender issues.
Together, the youth formed a group they call “The Never Bored Board” and they submitted their idea to organizations for help! Soon they began receiving grants to buy the truck, yellow vests, and plenty of Popsicles. HoH-Share inc., a local non -profit, now oversees the project under the guidance of the Never Bored Board youth. The kids are not only Decision Makers when it comes to Play Stops, Change Makers when it comes to community, but also are Community Educators giving presentations on ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and why Trauma Informed environments are so important!The Fun-Raiser and Never Bored Board is dedicated to supporting youth visionaries, leadership, healthy kids and relationships, and fun of course!
“Our capacity to destroy one another is matched by our capacity to heal one another. Restoring relationships and community is central to restoring well-being.”
-Bessel A. van der Kolk, author of The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Where We Go.
The Fun-Raiser loves to take its beaming yellow truck to all kinds of places, but we focus on the communities that need us most. Our summer schedule prioritizes areas that are considered in need or at risk, such as areas that lack playgrounds, mentors, or community resources. The rest of the year we find ourselves hula-hooping the day away at schools, daycares, conferences, and community events!
Check out our “schedule” tab to learn more!
Kids Aren’t Just the Future-Kids Are NOW!
YOU can join! The Never Bored Board is composed of 25+ children from 2-20 from every corner of Wheeling, West Virginia, who want to make our community better.We believe kid ideas are needed to do that! The Board decides the truck's mission, where it will go, who needs us most, and how we are going to have SO much fun, while making a difference. You won’t find a non-profit board more FUN to be on! From meetings, to our presentations, we make it a priority to have fun while working on things we believe are a priority for our community! We take dance break and give hula hoop demonstrations while delivering the important data and research that makes the operation so incredible.We think you’ll love being part of making innovative kid driven projects happen!
How Play Helps.
We believe there is no better way to build a friendship than by building a box fort together. It just so happens that science agrees with us. We use research to inform our community building, relationships, and activities to be trauma informed, restorative, inclusive, and mindful.
Did you know that play reverses the effects of childhood trauma on a cellular level? Did you know that play can prevent future drug use? Check out all the research we love to learn from in the “Resources” tab.