The Children's House at Johns Hopkins: Dinner for 25

The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins is part of the hospital housing program of the Believe In Tomorrow National Children’s Foundation. This facility offers affordable housing for families of pediatric patients who visit the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Their purpose is to keep families together in the midst of medical crisis, to reduce stress and promote self help and mutual support. Young people who receive medical treatment away from home need the emotional support of their families, and those families need a “home-away-from-home,” where they can restore their own physical and emotional energies.

Mardis, my husband, and I volunteered at The Children’s House at Johns Hopkins. We made a Christmas dinner for 25 people who were residing at the home. I will admit he cooked the food, as he is the “chef” of the household! We also donated toys to the children of the families and several boxes of food to be stored for current and future residents.







This was such a rewarding experience as residents came down to eat, gave many compliments to the “chef” for a job well done, and chatted with us about their life experiences. The children were playful and seemed to not be able to stay away from the table of toys and chocolate cake!

Kurt, the Weekend Manager and a career firefighter in Baltimore County, assisted us through the evening. He was very friendly, humble and extremely brave, which my husband and I realized after stories he shared of his work experiences. I admire people like Kurt and Mindy Wiedman, the Volunteer Coordinator who helped me sign up for this special event. They are both heroes as they have assisted many families and they both avidly volunteer.