Bringing Our Outdoor Recreation Back to Life: Where Healing and Hope Take the Court

Nick Hill, M.S., HS-B.C.P., C.N.E.

Deputy CEO

At Bethany, transformation happens in moments both big and small. Moments when a child begins to trust again, to smile again, to believe in themselves again. These moments don’t just happen inside therapy rooms or cottages. They unfold under open skies, on worn basketball courts, behind the swing of a tennis racket, and in the laughter shared between teammates who were once strangers.

One of those moments belonged to a young man we’ll call C.G. When C.G. first arrived at Bethany, he carried the weight of deep frustration, a lack of self-identity, and hurt he didn’t know how to express. Inside the cottage, that pain often showed itself in conflict and deflection. However, everything changed the moment he stepped onto the court. The second a basketball was in his hands, something shifted. His smile appeared. His laughter returned. Through the rhythm of the game, he found a way to share the complexities of his trauma that words alone could never capture.

Over time, the court became his place of calm. It peeled back the layers of hurt, giving our team members the chance to understand how best to support him. The game gave him focus, confidence, and hope. There’s even a memorable photo hanging in our gym of one of C.G.’s proudest moments, the first time he dunked a basketball. For him, that wasn’t just a point scored. It was a victory over pain, doubt, and fear. It was healing in motion.

Sure, as adults, we may not believe in magic. However, at Bethany, our village of team members never gives up until that youth finds their magic, no matter at what stage of this game we call life they are at. Our courts are a place where tension fades, walls come down, and youth begin to rediscover who they are and what they’re capable of.

Our outdoor recreation area has long been one of the most powerful spaces on campus, a place where youth reconnect with their sense of freedom, fun, and possibility. Whether it’s a three-pointer finding the net, a colorful “walking and chalking’” path stretching across the pavement, the first wobbly loop on roller skates, or simply sitting quietly to listen to the underground springs rush below, every moment here is part of the healing journey.

Unfortunately, time has taken its toll. The courts and recreation areas that once echoed with laughter and life now need our partners and community care to be restored. Bringing these spaces back to life means more than new paint, concrete, and equipment. It means giving our youth a place to rediscover themselves, to build confidence, connection, and courage in ways words alone can’t reach.

Your support will help us rebuild this vital space and ensure that generations of youth to come will have a place to play, to grow, and to heal. By investing in the recreation area, you are investing in transformation, in the moments that change lives, in the voices that lift up those who are struggling, and in the belief that every child deserves to experience healing and belonging.

Together, we can bring this space and its purpose back to life. Help us restore the heart of our campus, where healing, laughter, and hope live side by side and where every youth, like C.G., can find their own kind of magic.

2025 Year-end Campaign

By Bethany Children's Home

2025 Year-end Campaign