The SAND-AID Program
Providing sandtray play kits to children in disaster areas
We collect donated sandtray toy miniatures and organize the donations into therapeutic play kits centered on helping children in disaster areas to process their trauma through play.
We are currently focused on providing kits to children affected by the war in Ukraine and also to children in Guanajuato, Mexico, who have family members who have disappeared (“los desparecidos”).
If you would like to donate miniature toy figures (1-3 inches tall), please leave them in a bag at the Regis School of Mental and Behavioral Health in front of Office #163. You can also mail them to the mailing address below.
We especially needs families of animals; toy soldiers; legos; and fantasy figures like dragons, wizards, and fairies. But all toy miniatures will be put to good use!
The Regis Thornton Campus’ address is: 500 E 84th Ave., Thornton, CO 80229. Turn into the mall parking lot, and park on the north side of the mall. Enter the mall doors under the large "500" and take the first entrance (Entrance 1) on the left to enter the Regis School of Mental and Behavioral Health. The first office on the left is Office #163. Or, if the main entrance is locked, you can leave the miniatures outside the door.
The mailing address is:
Dr. Alison Sheesley
Regis Center for Play Therapy
500 E. 84th Avenue Suite B-12
Thornton, CO 80229
Your financial gift will be used to ship play kits, as mailing costs can be pricey. Thank you for your support!
How sandtray toy miniatures support children in disaster areas…
Play is the natural language of children. While adults find relief in talking over their difficulties with an understanding therapist, children often cannot express their thoughts and feelings in words; therefore, it is helpful to allow children to express themselves naturally through play. Because children often do not have the words to express feelings, they may represent how they feel through acting out.
When children have the opportunity to show how they feel through toys, they often feel better because their feelings have been released.
Our sandtray play kits provide children in disaster areas with tools to express and integrate their traumatic experiences, helping them to heal.
You can read more about sandtray here and learn about the types of miniatures that are the most helpful: https://www.meehanmentalhealth.com/the-playful-therapist-blog/sand-tray-miniatures-kit-source-list