DETROIT – This week for Your Neighborhood we head on over to Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood to a place that by name appears to focus on just children.
The work they’re really doing actually benefits entire families.
“It was hard,” said mother Joann Al-Hachami. “I thought I was a bad mom. I didn’t know what to do.”
Joann gets emotional when talking about raising a special needs son.
“You want them to fit in,” she said. “You want them to have friends. You want them to do the things that other kids do.”
Her 15-year-old special needs son’s difficulty in school would lead her to The Children’s Center in Detroit’s Midtown neighborhood. There he would find the help he needed.
“We loved it here,” Al-Hachami said. “He used to throw himself on the floor, he used to bang himself, hit himself and he just, temper tantrums. He just couldn’t control himself. He doesn’t do any of that anymore.”
“The core services that we provide here are individual therapy, outpatient here on campus but also we cross the doorstep of thousands of families each year,” said Douglas Manigault with The Children’s Center.
Manigault has worked with families at The Children’s Center for the past three years. The 91-year-old non-profit serves 7,500 children and families each year dealing with a number of different issues.
“A lot of our services focus on trauma informed care,” he said. “Our mission at The Children’s Center is to help children and families shape their own futures and that starts with them focusing on what does success look like for them.”
“I’m just hoping someday he’ll find peace,” said Al-Hachami.
The Children’s Center has been so beneficial to Al-Hachami and her son Amin she now volunteers her time there giving back. A place that’s helped this mother and many other families.
“I love him and I’ll always be there for him no matter what,” Al-Hachami added.
The Children’s Center is always looking for volunteers. For more information, please visit www.thechildrenscenter.com.