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It’s the day before Camp CARE’s next week-long summer camp for children who have cancer or who have entered remission. These children will be full of excitement when they discover the surprise waiting for them on their bunks.
Two long-time friends, Kevin Gatlin, CEO of Playtime Edventure, and Mike Burke, CEO of Sun Stoppers Window Tinting, teamed up to donate brand new interactive and educational bed sheets to the entire camp.
Not only will the kids get to enjoy the bed sheets while at camp, but they’ll also get to take them home at the end of the week.
Anyone with a cancer diagnosis or who knows a loved one battling this terrible disease understands the importance of staying positive. This act of generosity by Kevin and Mike is an attempt to uplift the spirits of these children.
How can a simple piece of bedding do that?
The Story Behind Edventure Bed Sheets
When Kevin’s friend had a sick child in the hospital, it got him thinking, “what if that were my son? How would I keep his spirit up?” As Kevin watched his wife play games with their son on the bed, Edventure started to take shape.
One day, Kevin told his mother, a school teacher, that he was going to put board games like checkers and tic-tac-toe on bed sheets. She told him to add some educational content to give children an additional opportunity to learn.
Over the next couple of years, Kevin’s mother introduced him to 4 teachers, a psychiatrist, and a physician to help develop the design of the bed sheets. Finally, Playtime Edventure Bed Sheets and Slumber Bags were born.
The interactive and educational features of the bed sheets offer multiple benefits. First, they give doctors the opportunity to engage with the child and develop trust before they begin their testing procedures. Second, they allow parents to fill the empty time with fun activities, games, and stories.
With over 50 interactive games, 4 different languages, and various story starters, Playtime Edventure bed sheets help take the child’s mind off their current situation, if only for a moment.
Business Leaders as a Driving Force for Good
Mike and Kevin’s continuous drive to help others who need it most sets a shining example of how business leaders can positively impact a community.
In 2021, a fellow tinter named Donnie Dixon was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Mike and the team at Sun Stoppers set up the Tint Rat t-shirt fundraiser to help raise money for Donnie’s medical expenses.
Similarly, Kevin’s accredited 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Playtime Therapy Bed Sheets Foundation provides bedding to “safe rooms” for displaced kids. The mission? Transform the bed into a place where kids play, learn, sleep and heal.
When people outside the scope of their charitable donations purchase Edventure Playtime bed sheets, a part of those proceeds goes to delivering on that mission.
Playtime Edventure has donated more than 7,000 bed sheets to facilities that include children’s hospitals, shelters and orphanages, hospices, and juvenile detention centers.
How You Can Get Involved
It doesn’t have to stop here. Every one of us has a license to lead by example and give back to our communities.
Camp CARE is staffed by volunteers only and funded entirely by donations. Camp expenses run around $600 per child, so if you want to provide a week of fun and excitement to a child battling cancer, click here.
You can also partner with Edventure Playtime and create a fundraiser on Facebook to donate to your favorite organization.
If you’d like to partner with Sun Stoppers for your next charitable event, contact us today and let’s explore ways to make a positive impact on our communities.
