It was a foggy morning in Spokane, WA. The air was crisp. The sky was gray. But despite the low temperatures and visibility, several Maddie’s Place staff members gathered to set up the Spooktacular Birthday Bash.
Excitement was in the air as everyone anticipated our first guests. If you‘ve been to Maddie’s Place before, you would have been surprised to find our parking lot transformed to hold all of the festivities. A massive white tent lined the back of the parking lot, filled with tables and chairs and hay bales and food. Our staff manned different carnival-like stations. And our brand-new coffee trailer was parked at the entrance with free coffee, Italian sodas, and yummy treats available.
Between the two sessions, we had over 100 people join in on the fun and celebrate the lives changed over our organization’s 2 years of life.
Among the crowd were Washington State Representative Marcus Riccelli, U.S. House Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Spokane County Commissioner Mary Kuney – and what an honor that was! Without them, we would not be where we are today.
Riccelli obtained us a $5.5 million pilot project that helped cover our operations as well as fund a Washington State University study on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and the outcomes at Maddie’s Place. McMorris Rodgers has been a strong advocate for our mission in Congress and for paving the way for pediatric transitional care facilities across the county. And Kuney, along with her fellow county commissioners, have designated generous funding from the opioid settlement to the growth and expansion of Maddie’s Place. We had the opportunity to show them our new land and shared many laughs, encouragement, and hugs.
Towards the end of our celebration, we got to hear from eight of our former parents, all expressing their deep gratitude for their time spent at Maddie’s Place.
One mom expressed with tears in her eyes, “They gave me a second chance at being a mom.”
The rest had something similar to say.
See, it is for moments like these that we fight: for the moment when an infant gets through the worst of their withdrawal or when a hard-working parent gets their child back in their custody.
So, when a need arises at Maddie’s Place (such as putting on a spooktacular birthday bash) our people are eager to step up to the plate. They go above and beyond to meet that need. It all comes out of a place of deep love and care for the people we serve. And we are only at year two!
Thank you to every person who showed up or volunteered your time to make our celebration happen.
Happy New Year!
This blog was posted on November 15, 2024.
Questions? Suggestions? Email me at emma.jones@maddiesplace.org