{"id":217374,"date":"2026-06-12T12:21:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/217374\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T12:21:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:21:21","slug":"lighthouse-is-a-place-for-joy-connection-a-sense-of-belonging-healthy-play-friendship-and-healing-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/217374\/","title":{"rendered":"LightHouse is a place for joy, connection, a sense of belonging, healthy play, friendship and healing"},"content":{"rendered":"

When LightHouse Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Shelter of Reading, Berks County, opened, organizers knew they wanted to create more than just a place for women and children to sleep.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to create a place where families could heal, grow and experience hope,\u201d said Kate Alley, executive director at LightHouse.<\/p>\n

Last year, they brought this thought to life through the building of a playground space.<\/p>\n

\"KateKate Alley, Executive Director of Lighthouse. (Photo submitted by LightHouse)<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaygrounds are places for children to simply be kids, find connection, belonging, and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The playground has had a very positive impact on the entire community, beyond all the benefits the children reap from their time spent there.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the children, it provides a safe place to run, climb, laugh, and make friends,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gives them an opportunity to release energy, build confidence, and experience the simple joys of childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peace of mind<\/p>\n

For parents, Alley said it provides peace of mind knowing their children have a safe place to play while they focus on the work of rebuilding their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the broader community, it sends a powerful message that children experiencing homelessness deserve beautiful spaces too,\u201d Alley said. Every child deserves opportunities to play, dream, and thrive regardless of their circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe playground at LightHouse enables children to get physical activity in a safe environment. (Photo submitted by LightHouse)<\/p>\n

For safety reasons, Alley said the playground was designed primarily for the women and children who live at LightHouse, but they also wanted it to be a welcoming presence in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough a partnership with Mike Miller and Alvernia University\u2019s Total Experience Learning program, we created a beautiful public art installation called \u2018Sanctuary in Color,\u2019 featuring butterflies and bees along the playground fence line,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"ChildrenChildren at LightHouse experience joy and make new friendships at their playground, which was established last year. (Photo submitted by LightHouse)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the playground itself is reserved for their residents, the artwork can be enjoyed by everyone in the community and serves as a reminder that LightHouse is committed to being a positive and vibrant part of the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hub of activity<\/p>\n

With the weather being optimal for outdoor play these days, the playground is usually a hub of activity and is considered one of the most loved spaces at LightHouse. We currently have 62 residents living at LightHouse, which currently houses 30 adults and 32 children.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe playground is busy almost every day,\u201d Alley said. \u201cThe children are constantly running, climbing, swinging, and creating games together. It\u2019s become one of the most popular areas on our campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building friendships<\/p>\n

What she finds has been especially rewarding is seeing children of different ages playing together, building friendships, and enjoying being outside.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe playground established by the LightHouse enables children who live at the shelter to have outdoor time while also getting physical activity. (Photo submitted by LightHouse)<\/p>\n

\u201cThose moments of normal childhood experiences are incredibly valuable,\u201d Alley said.<\/p>\n

The overall vision of the playground was to create a space that is welcoming, inclusive, and restorative.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted a playground where children of varying ages and abilities could play together in a safe space,\u201d she said. \u201cAccessibility was important to us because every child deserves the opportunity to participate and have fun.<\/p>\n

Community effort<\/p>\n

LightHouse\u2019s playground was a community effort that was made possible through support from foundations, businesses, churches, community organizations, and individual donors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey believed in creating a place of joy and healing for children experiencing homelessness,\u201d Alley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would especially like to thank the many donors who made this vision possible, especially Giorgi Family Foundation, Neag Foundation, Calvary Bible Fellowship, as well as our partners at Willow Playworks, General Recreation Inc, and Alvernia University\u2019s Total Experience Learning program. Every contribution, large and small, helped transform an empty space into something truly special for the children we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

What has been most inspiring is seeing so many people come together around a simple belief: every child deserves a safe place to play and thrive.<\/p>\n

What has the playground brought to the community that was not there before in terms of how it has likely enriched it?<\/p>\n

The playground has brought something that goes beyond equipment and structures \u2014 it has provided opportunities for healthy play, friendship, and healing for the children living at LightHouse. For parents, it offers a place where they can watch their children simply enjoy being kids during a difficult season in life.<\/p>\n

A place of beauty and activity<\/p>\n

For the broader community, the playground stands as a visible reminder that our neighborhood values children and families. It has transformed an outdoor space into a place of beauty, activity, and hope, enriching both our campus and the surrounding community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to look outside and see children climbing, swinging, racing from one activity to the next, and hearing their laughter fill the air. The playground has become a gathering place where friendships are formed, confidence is built, and children can simply enjoy being children,\u201d Alley said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite things is seeing children who may have arrived at LightHouse carrying the weight of difficult circumstances forget about those worries and simply play,\u201d she said. \u201cThose moments of joy are incredibly meaningful.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, visit www.hopeforreading.org\/lighthouse<\/a> and check out this short video about LightHouse at https:\/\/vimeo.com\/1173000151<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When LightHouse Women\u2019s and Children\u2019s Shelter of Reading, Berks County, opened, organizers knew they wanted to create more…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,28,128,130,129,3801],"class_list":["post-217374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news","tag-top-stories-dln"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}