Sarah's Smile Squad
Ready to help? Here's how.
Every kit built, every ticket sold, and every dollar donated reaches a child in a hospital. Choose a way to help that fits you best.
Ready to help? Here's how.
Every kit built, every ticket sold, every hour volunteered, and every dollar donated supports a child in a hospital. Choose the way that fits you best.
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Sarah's Smile Squad
Ready to help? Here's how.
Every kit built, every ticket sold, every hour volunteered, and every dollar donated supports a child in a hospital. Choose the way that fits you best.
Smiles from Sarah creates and delivers therapeutic play kits to Child Life programs. These kits give Certified Child Life Specialists (CCLSs) meaningful tools to help children cope through play.
Our play kits offer comfort, connection, and moments of joy. Designed alongside CCLSs, each kit uses therapeutic play to reduce anxiety, encourage self-expression, and help children cope with medical procedures and hospital stays.
Whether you have a few hours or a specific skill to offer, we have a role for you!
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Host a Play Kit Party with co-workers, friends, or your community group — we'll help you organize it
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Join our Play Kit Committee — quarterly meetings on upcoming kit events, needs, and feedback
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Deliver Play Kits — we need drivers to load up finished kits from building events and deliver them to a nearby hospital
Play Kit Events
Bracelets & Keychains
Creating bracelets and/or keychains together helps with emotional expression and cognitive development, enhancing fine motor skills, and providing sensory stimulation. Emotions can be associated with different beads, or they can spell out words. They’ll also have a little extra to make items for others. When putting together this kit, most of the time will be spent counting beads into bags, so it is a great networking opportunity.
Creativity & Science
Slime is a great multi-purpose outlet for all ages. It allows for self-expression and storytelling but can also be a tool for guided conversations with others about a range of topics. During this activity, children and teens are encouraged to dive into sensory play while being creative and learning about science. Baking soda and contact solution are measured into small containers. When patients mix with glue and other items, magic happens!
Salt & Chalk
Using salt and chalk, children can make "sand art." Salt will be divided into the bowls and swirled with chalk to color. Patients can assign each color to a different emotion, and its quantity can vary depending on how they are feeling. This therapeutic activity promotes fine motor development and emotional expression. To assemble, one team will fill bags of salt, while the other assembles the kits.
Calming & Relaxing
Sensory Jars are a great calming tool when emotions become overwhelming. The different materials in the sensory jars fall at different speeds, creating a period of relaxation and refocus when shaken. You will assemble kits containing different beads, glitter, and other materials for the children to use to create these jars. Working in groups, you will bag beads and assemble them with the remaining materials for the children to create these jars.
Meaningful Conversations
These adorable stuffed toys facilitate meaningful conversations and help children work through their worries. Patients can write anything that is causing them worry on the provided "monster food" and continue to watch their monster grow and manage their worries.
Creative/Art Projects
Sarah's Favorite
Volcanoes offer opportunities not only for sensory play but also for conversation and an emotional outlet. Child life specialists can use them to help children describe feelings of anger or frustration and things that make them feel like they want to "erupt." Kits include play dough, vinegar, baking soda, mini dinosaurs, and more, giving them everything at their fingertips for this fun activity.
Comfort & Security
Using fabric markers, the child may customize a comforting pillowcase to have close by when feeling stressed, sad, or anxious, especially while going to sleep at night. Safe spaces are important in establishing security. When in the hospital, children may feel like that security has been taken away as they’re thrown into an unfamiliar environment.
Uniquely Personal
Help pre-populate journals with prompting words and phrases. This fun, hands-on activity lets you think outside the box and create something unique. Children and teens use the journals to celebrate achievements or moments of joy and gratitude, but also to process tough feelings like sadness, anger, or frustration.
Insights & Aspirations
Vision boards are great outlets for all ages. They allow for private reflection but also enable guided conversations with others about a range of topics. Children and teens can create meaningful art while gaining valuable insights into themselves and their aspirations, empowering them to pursue their dreams with confidence and clarity.
Host a Play Kit Party
Deliver Smiles
We coordinate collection or shipment of the finished kits, putting them in the hands of child life specialists who use them to support patients and families.
Build with Purpose
As your group assembles kits, they'll learn how therapeutic play helps hospitalized children cope and why child life specialists are so essential to that care.
We Handle the Details
You get a full supply list, playbook, and step-by-step instructions, making it easy for your team to organize a meaningful, hands-on service project.
Plan Together
Tell us about your group, event, timeline, and number of participants. Based on your goals, we'll recommend the best therapeutic play kit projects and how many to build.
The Smiles from Sarah team-building session was a standout activity that not only brought joy to the group but also allowed us to give back through the creation of 150 therapeutic activity kits.
- Project Lead, Deloitte
The Smiles from Sarah team-building session was a standout activity that not only brought joy to the group but also allowed us to give back through the creation of 150 therapeutic activity kits.
Project Lead, Deloitte
Interested in hosting a Play Kit Party?
Fill out our Play Kit Party interest form or contact us at contact@smilesfromsarah.org
Connect with a Purpose
Build stronger social connections with your friends and colleagues by hosting a kit-building event! Our team can custom design a project to fit your unique needs, complete with detailed supply lists, playbooks, and other materials. Your team can then build, pack, and ship the kits. Connect with purpose and have fun at the same time!
Sip & Smile Team
Our annual fundraiser is held in the fall in Arlington, Virginia, and we're always looking for people to help make it happen, in person or behind the scenes:
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Auction Curator — Source unique items for our Silent Auction and Raffle. Meets virtually twice a month starting in April, then weekly the month before the event
Our annual fundraiser is held in the fall in Arlington, Virginia, and we're always looking for people to help make it happen, in person or behind the scenes:
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Auction Curator — Source unique items for our Silent Auction and Raffle. Meets virtually twice a month starting in April, then weekly the month before the event.
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Sponsorship Scout — Connect with local businesses and corporate partners to secure event funding.
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Event Ambassador — Champion our mission and grow our reach in the community via the Host Committee.
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Event Volunteer — Roles ranging from guest services and raffles to leading a volunteer team on event day.
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Sponsorship Scout — Connect with local businesses and corporate partners to secure event funding.
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Event Ambassador — Champion our mission and grow our reach in the community via the Host Committee.
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Event Volunteer — Roles ranging from guest services and raffles to leading a volunteer team on event day.
Join us on October 3 for an evening of delicious food and drinks, picturesque views, and amazing company — all while supporting a meaningful mission. Celebrate our Child Life Champion Awardees and participate in our silent auction, raffles, wine pull, play kit building, and more!
Do you have a favorite restaurant, local business, vacation rental, sports connection, concert contact, or one-of-a-kind experience in your network? We'd love an introduction! From behind-the-scenes tours and weekend getaways to signed memorabilia and family-fun packages, every donation helps bring more smiles to children and families supported by Smiles From Sarah.
No item is too big, too small, or too creative — if it makes someone say, "Wow, I'd bid on that!" we want to hear about it! Contact events@smilesfromsarah.org today.
On October 3, 2026, we raised $128,000 to support child life specialists and our partner children's hospitals! Thanks to all who joined us for our fourth annual Sip & Smile, and those who contributed. You make our mission possible. Enjoy highlights from our 2026 event below and browse the full collection of photos in our online album.
I was inspired by the [Sip & Smile] event for Smiles from Sarah the other night. I admired you and your family’s ability to honor Sarah’s legacy and especially to highlight the amazing child life specialists.
- Katie Hathway, Parent
On September 20, 2025, we raised $65,000 to support Child Life Specialists and our partner children's hospitals! Thanks to all who joined us for our third annual Sip & Smile, and those who contributed. You make our mission possible. Enjoy highlights from our 2025 event below.
SFS Days Volunteer
Smiles from Sarah (SFS) Days are special events that celebrate Child Life while bringing the healing power of play to children and families throughout the hospital. Partnering with hospital teams and volunteers, we create meaningful experiences that spread joy, foster connection, and reach even more patients.
We currently host SFS Days at Children's National, with plans to expand to more hospital partners as we grow. Let us know your area, and we'll notify you when one's happening nearby.
Every March, Smiles from Sarah brings SFS Day to life at Children's National in Washington, DC. For one special day, the hospital atrium transforms into a hub of creativity and laughter, filled with interactive activities and kit-building stations.
More than 100 children connect with our 20+ volunteers and the incredible Child Life team, and we get to witness smiles and healing first-hand.
Child life specialists go above and beyond every day — often in ways that go unseen. Our Goes the Extra Smile Recognition Program exists to change that.
This program celebrates child life specialists who make a lasting, positive impact on patients and families. Whether it's a small moment or a memory that lasts a lifetime, we want to hear about it. Your stories help us spotlight the incredible work child life specialists do every day — and inspire others to do the same. Congratulations to all the child life specialists across our hospital partners who have received this special recognition!
Know a child life specialist who goes the extra smile? Recognize them today and help us celebrate their extraordinary contributions.
Recognize a Child Life Specialist
Do you know a child life specialist who goes the extra smile? Tell us their story.
A quiet moment of comfort. A memory a family never forgot. Whatever it was, it deserves to be celebrated — and your recognition helps us spotlight the people doing this work every day.
On September 21, 2024, our Sip & Smile event raised over $80,000 for SFS! Held in Rosslyn, VA, the fun-filled evening included over 200 attendees. Enjoy highlights from our 2024 event below.
Goes the Extra Smile Recognition Program
Child life specialists go above and beyond every day — often in ways that go unseen. Our Goes the Extra Smile Recognition Program exists to change that.
This program celebrates child life specialists who make a lasting, positive impact on patients and families. Whether it's a small moment or a memory that lasts a lifetime, we want to hear about it. Your stories help us spotlight the incredible work child life specialists do every day — and inspire others to do the same. Congratulations to all the child life specialists across our hospital partners who have received this special recognition!
Know a child life specialist who goes the extra smile? Recognize them today and help us celebrate their extraordinary contributions.
Volcanos allow for sensory play, conversation, and an emotional outlet.
These unique journals inspire children and teens to create something memorable.
Sensory jars are a great calming tool when emotions become overwhelming.
Pillowcases help soothe feelings of stress, sadness, or anxiety, especially while falling asleep at night.
Sand art promotes fine motor skills and emotional expression, helping children identify and process feelings.
September 21, 2024
We are on a mission to support child life programs and therapeutic play in hospitals. Help bring smiles and healing to children while having fun at our annual fundraiser.
Join us at this year's event! Learn more about sponsorship and host committee opportunities to get involved today.
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Salt and chalk become a creative "sand art" project! To assemble the kits, volunteers divide salt and chalk, packaging them for each child. Then, children can create different salt colors with the chalk, and funnel it into different vessels for display.
This therapeutic play activity promotes fine motor skills and emotional expression, helping children identify and process feelings.
Pillowcases and eye mask for a better night's sleep! To assemble the kits, volunteers package supplies for each child, including a mini teddy bear. Then, children can use fabric markers to customize a comforting pillowcase and eye mask.
This therapeutic play activity helps soothe feelings of stress, sadness, or anxiety, especially while falling asleep at night.
Colorful jars of liquid for calming big emotions! To assemble the kits, volunteers package unique beads, glitter, and other fun items for each child. Then, children can shake the jars and watch the different materials fall at different speeds, providing peace and relaxation.
This therapeutic play activity helps calm emotions when they become overwhelming.
Eruptions are fun and emotionally satisfying! To assemble the kits, volunteers package Play-Doh, vinegar, baking soda, mini dinosaurs, and more for each child. The, children have everything they need to create an erupting volcano.
This therapeutic play activity promotes conversations about anger, frustration, and situations that make us want to erupt.
Bring your imagination to this unique project! To create these kits, volunteers add prompting words and phrases to journals. This fun, hands-on activity allows for creativity and making something unique.
This therapeutic play activity promotes celebrating achievements, joy, and gratitude and helps process sadness, anger, and frustration.
Postcards to keep in touch with friends and family! To create these kits, volunteers make sample postcards and package them with blank postcards, stickers, stamps, gel pens, and more. Then, children use the postcards to initiate or strengthen relationships with those they can't see in person. Sometimes, they provide a way to continue friendships that began during their hospital stay.
This therapeutic play activity stimulates creativity, builds resilience, and promotes connection with others.
Sip & Smile by the Numbers
1st
Smiles from Sarah fundraising event
196
attendees
$70K
raised for Smiles from Sarah
Contact Us
SAVE THE DATE
Join us for the second annual Sip & Smile fundraising event on September 21, 2024, at the Deloitte Observation Deck in Rosslyn, Virginia. Volunteer and sponsorship opportunities are available today!
Support Sip & Smile Fundraising Event
On October 21, 2023, our first Sip & Smile event raised over $70,000 for SFS! Held at the Deloitte Observation Deck in Rosslyn, Virginia, the fun-filled evening included nearly 200 attendees. Guests enjoyed beautiful views of the D.C. skyline while gaining an appreciation of our mission and the vital work of Certified Child Life Specialists.