Kohl's and Children's Hospital Colorado Unveil "1,000 Ways We Care" Initiative with Special Program

On January 26, Children’s Hospital Colorado unveiled the “1,000 Ways We Care” initiative with Kohl’s and hospital leadership. The initiative kicked off with a short program held in the main atrium  with a large piece of butcher paper that read “1,000 Ways We Care.” Attendees were invited to write one way they plan to care for their child this year on the butcher paper. Simultaneously, Kohl’s volunteers ran activity stations that introduced metaphors which represented the new initiative.

First 1,000 days are the most important in a child's life

The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are imperative for a healthy physical, mental, cognitive and behavioral development. When a child is exposed to repeated, intense or chronic stress it can negatively impact both their current and future health and development. Therefore, Children’s Colorado is developing a strategic plan to mitigate the effects of toxic stress and is committing major resources toward its eradication. A component critical to the success of this effort is supporting parents by providing them with resources to engage in positive parenting and lifestyle approaches that will give their children a strong foundation to reach their full potential.

Children’s Colorado is partnering with Kohl’s to engage caregivers through a broad public awareness initiative about the importance of positive parenting and the opportunity to positively impact a child’s long term health outcomes.

Providing parents with the support and tools they need to be great caregivers

“Early relationships, experiences and environments shape the health and wellbeing of young children. We are thrilled to partner with Kohl’s to highlight the importance of the first 1,000 days of life through a comprehensive public awareness initiative,” said Heidi Baskfield, executive director of the Children's Health Advocacy Institute at Children’s Hospital Colorado. “The message of ‘1,000 Ways We Care' brought to you by Kohl’s and Children’s Colorado will support parents, caregivers and our community by highlighting the critical importance of the early years in a child’s development and provide resources on how we can work together to best support Colorado’s children.”

A partnership that continues to give back to the community

Since 2000, Kohl’s has donated more than $4,600,000 to Children’s Colorado.

Kohl's commitment to Children’s Colorado is made possible through the Kohl's Cares cause merchandise program. Through this initiative, Kohl’s sells $5 books and plush toys, where 100 percent of net profit benefits children’s health and education programs nationwide, including hospital partnerships like this one. Kohl's has raised more than $274 million through this merchandise program.

Through the Kohl’s Associates in Action volunteer program, more than 834,000 associates have donated more than 3.2 million hours of their time since 2001, and Kohl’s has donated more than $79 million to youth-focused nonprofit organizations. Kohl’s also offers fundraising gift cards for schools and youth-serving organizations.

For more information, visit www.Kohls.com/Cares.  

See coverage from The Denver Post.