Here to Play brings a group of local volunteers to your facility dressed in yellow Project Sunshine t-shirts, equipped with creative arts and crafts materials to the unit of your choice. In addition to our comprehensive training, our volunteers will go through any additional hospital required clearance process and can provide proof of COVID and Flu vaccinations. You select the frequency, date/time, and our volunteers will handle the rest!
Creative Arts & Crafts
Creative Arts and Crafts is a program in which Project Sunshine volunteers bring materials and facilitate arts and crafts activities, which encourage self-expression and imagination. Our volunteers bring Program Boxes as their activities for the session.
Program Boxes consist of developmentally appropriate materials and instruction sheets that are delivered to Project Sunshine volunteers nationwide each month. This streamlined, consistent model allows volunteers to arrive fully prepared with the activity and materials needed (so as not to strain the hospital’s supplies) to create shared moments of joy and connection with pediatric patients and their families, responding to the childhood need to explore, socialize, and play.
Party Time
Party Time is a large-scale event that brightens holidays and other landmark occasions, providing a setting for pediatric patients and families to celebrate, honor traditions, and connect. Most of our Party Time events are underwritten by corporate sponsors and staffed by volunteers from the sponsoring company and overseen by Project Sunshine staff.
Caregiver Wellness
Caregiver Wellness is a program that temporarily transforms a designated space into a soothing
environment for parents and caregivers with relaxation activities and massages, aromatherapy, calming breathing exercises, or chair yoga provided by experts. This program can be requested by the medical facility and is either underwritten by a corporate sponsor or facilitated by community volunteers.
Creative Arts & Crafts
Creative Arts and Crafts is a program in which Project Sunshine volunteers bring materials and facilitate arts and crafts activities, which encourage self-expression and imagination. Most often, the volunteers bring Program Boxes as their activities for the session.
Program Boxes consist of developmentally appropriate materials and instruction sheets that are delivered to Project Sunshine volunteers nationwide each month. This streamlined, consistent model allows volunteers to arrive fully prepared with the activity and materials needed (so as not to strain the hospital’s supplies) to create shared moments of joy and connection with pediatric patients and their families, responding to the childhood need to explore, socialize, and play.
Party Time
Party Time is a large-scale event that brightens holidays and other landmark occasions, providing a setting for pediatric patients and families to celebrate, honor traditions, and connect. Most of our Party Time events are underwritten by corporate sponsors and staffed by volunteers from the sponsoring company and overseen by Project Sunshine staff.
Caregiver Wellness
Caregiver Wellness is a program that temporarily transforms a designated space into a soothing
environment for parents and caregivers with relaxation activities and massages, aromatherapy, calming breathing exercises, or chair yoga provided by experts. This program can be requested by the medical facility and is either underwritten by a corporate sponsor or facilitated by community volunteers.
For more information about Here To Play
Reach out to our Volunteer Engagement Team at
community@projectsunshine.org or visit our Community Volunteering page.
Working with Our Partners
The frequency of programming depends on the medical facility’s programming needs. We can offer programs on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. For programs that are underwritten by a corporate sponsor, Project Sunshine will need at least 6 weeks’ notice to solidify a partner and organize the event details.
For regularly scheduled programs, our partner’s main point of contact will be a chapter leader— a lead volunteer within a group of college or community volunteers. For corporate programs, our partner’s main point of contact will be with a Project Sunshine staff member.
Our Volunteers
- Project Sunshine Values
- Project Sunshine and hospital policies
- HIPAA in person and on a virtual platform
- Tips for working with and engaging with pediatric patients
- Child development and how it is impacted by hospitalization
In addition to a background check, Project Sunshine volunteers will go through a facility’s medical clearance and orientation process as required.
Background checks for Chapter Leaders are contracted through Sterling Volunteers. They are done on a yearly basis and include the following:
- Government Watch List Search (OFAC)
- 50 State DOJ Sex Offender Registry
- Current county/ state of residence search
- All Alias and Maiden names off of 7-year trace
- All addresses searched at the county level off of 7-year trace
Monthly Updates of Nationwide/ Sex Offender Database with primary source validation (up to 1 year after)
Background checks for general volunteers are contracted through Sterling Volunteers. They are done on a yearly basis and include the following:
- Government Watch List Search (OFAC)
- 50 State DOJ Sex Offender Registry
- Current county/ state of residence search
- Nationwide Criminal/ Sex Offender Database Search with primary source validation
