Kay Applegate and Judi Hessel
c/o A&A Scottish Rite
1370 Grant Street, Denver, Colorado 80203–2347

Photo: Denver Consistory ladies (l. to r.) Kay Applegate and Judi Hessel, along with many other Valley of Denver ladies and members, support Colorado's Childhood Language Disorders Program in a special way by providing stuffed toys to children being helped by the Scottish Rite in Colorado.
Danny and his mother left home for an appointment at The Children's Hospital/Scottish Rite Language Disorders Clinic in Denver. About two miles from the house, the youngster said, "Mom, I forgot my bear." Understanding the significance and importance of this toy, Mom immediately turned the car around, went back to the house, and picked up the bear. Danny then felt secure, looking forward with excitement to being with his therapist in the company of his beloved bear cuddled in his arms.
This is a typical illustration of how a simple, stuffed toy can bring a sense of happiness, warmth, and security to a young patient in our mile-high Scottish Rite Language Disorders Clinic. Many of the youngsters in the program take our "comfort toys" with them to their therapy sessions.

These toys are made by the loving hands of the Denver Consistory Ladies. Begun in 1988, our ladies have made over 4,000 stuffed toys to date. We call these toys "comfort toys" because they bring so much joy and comfort to the young patients, some of whom have severe language disorders.

The Denver Consistory Ladies meet during every Consistory Stated Meeting night. While the men are in their meeting, we make the comfort toys on every other Stated Meeting night. The alternate meetings are used for entertainment such as a guest speaker. On the nights dedicated to the toys, we are cutting out patterns, stitching the material, or stuffing the toys. In addition, we share laughter and joy while we work.

We recently delivered a batch of over 400 toys (photo below) to the new clinic quarters occupied by Dr. Deborah Hayes, Director of the Clinic, and her staff. Dr. Hayes subsequently distributed these toys to the various clinics in Colorado which participate in the program. She gave us a tour of the beautiful new facility which occupies a space of about 12,000 square feet and has 17 individual treatment rooms with observation, two large group treatment rooms with observation, and three complete audiology sound suites. Children's furniture is in many of the rooms, including a kitchen designed for a child's size.

 
Recently, members of the Valley of Denver and their ladies presented over 400 handmade stuffed toys to the Colorado Childhood Language Disorders Program. 

The entire area is bright, colorful, and appealing. There are happy dinosaur images on the walls, and each dinosaur is engaged in some type of therapy. One has an audiology headset on his ears. Another is doing signing. There is even a group of dinosaurs in a therapy session. It is a delightful and inviting atmosphere for the young patients. One of our ladies commented, "If I were a child, I would really enjoy coming here."

We observed some of the children in therapy and were particularly impressed with observing the parents who showed such pride in seeing their children interact with others. We were also greatly impressed by the clinic's staff members who are caring professionals dedicated to their work. Our day at the clinic was wonderful. We are glad that the Scottish Rite is doing so much to help young people, and we often think about Danny and all the other youngsters who hug their comfort toys. We're proud of our contribution in making the Colorado Childhood Language Disorders Program such a big success.