Newcomers offer Children’s Center “heavy help”

Esther Short — The Clark County Newcomers Club has spent the last year raising money for the Children’s Center, a charitable clinic that provides mental health treatment for children and families. Through sales of books and fruited curry rice mixes, luncheon drawings, a “Queen’s Tea” and matching funds from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the Newcomers Club raised $4,535. The Children’s Center wants to use the money to buy “heavy helpers” — stuffed animals that weigh between 5 and 10 pounds — for its children who have sensory challenges. Those children — many of whom were exposed to methamphetamine or have certain developmental disabilities — find such weighted therapy friends comforting and helpful with staying focused. Learn more about The Children’s Center at www.thechildrenscenter.org; learn more about the Newcomers Club — which isn’t just for newcomers — at clarkcountynewcomers.com.