Giving Hearts Day 2026 for Family Wellness Rooms

A visit to the Grand Forks Children’s Museum is supposed to feel like magic - the kind of day where curiosity takes over, imaginations run wild, and kids discover something new around every corner. Yet even the most joyful days come with moments that are tender, unpredictable, and sometimes overwhelming.

…A toddler who suddenly melts down after holding it together all morning

.…A baby who needs to be fed or changed right now

.…A child whose nervous system is simply saying, “I need a break.”

…A family doing their best to navigate a moment that’s bigger than it looks.

These moments aren’t inconveniences. They are part of being human and they are part of being a child. These moments deserve a space that accepts them, that honors them and that gives them the calm and the privacy they need to recover, reconnect and belong . That’s why the Grand Forks Children’s Museum is creating two Family Wellness Rooms, spaces designed not just for feeding or changing a baby, but for the full emotional landscape of childhood.

The simple truth is that so many children need a place to breathe, regulate and soothe. My friend’s son, Daniel, is one of them. Daniel is bright, curious, and full of wonder, but he also lives with severe anxiety. When the world gets too loud or too fast, his body reacts before he can explain what’s happening. His heart races. His breath shortens. His eyes fill with tears he can’t control. His shoulders tense. His entire body goes on alert. In those moments, he doesn’t need to leave. He doesn’t need to “tough it out.” Daniel needs a place where he can feel safe enough to settle and regulate.  

Daniel is not alone. There are many children who experience sensory overload. Children who are neurodivergent. Children who struggle with transitions. Children who experience panic‑like episodes. Children whose emotions are bigger and faster than their peers. Children who simply need a quiet moment to reset before they can rejoin the world.

The families need support too… not judgment, not stares, not the pressure to ‘push through’ and ‘be like the other kids,’ but a safe, calming space that says: You’re welcome here. You’re understood here. Take the time you need.

Family Wellness Rooms make that possible. These rooms offer privacy, comfort, and calm.They give parents a place to soothe, feed, rest, or regulate with their child. They allow families to stay longer, enjoy more, and feel truly included.

When families have a place to pause, something powerful happens. They don’t have to leave early. They don’t miss out on the memories they came to make. They get to experience the museum on their own timeline, not someone else’s.

This is what inclusion looks like…This is what accessibility feels like…This is how a children’s museum becomes a place where every child can thrive.

In conjunction with the Giving Hearts Day, we have the chance to build these rooms together.

Thanks to generous supporters, the Grand Forks Children’s Museum has already secured $25,000 in matching funds. Every donation up to $25,000 is matched dollar-for-dollar, helping us reach our $50,000 goal to fully fund these essential Family Wellness Rooms.

With this donor match…

• Every $10 becomes $20

• Every $50 becomes $100

• Every $250 becomes $500

Early giving is open now through February 12, 2026. Your gift has twice the impact and helps ensure that every family who walks through our doors feels supported, welcomed, and seen.

Give today and help make these rooms a reality: https://app.givingheartsday.org/#/charity/2058

When you support these Family Wellness Room, you’re doing more than creating a quiet place to feed a baby or calm a toddler. You’re creating a lifeline for the kids who feel the world a little more intensely; the ones whose hearts race in loud spaces, whose bodies freeze when the room gets too busy, whose tears come faster than their words. You’re giving them a place where they can breathe, settle, and return to joy on their own timeline.

You’re giving their families a moment of relief, a moment of dignity, a moment of belonging. The kind of moment that stays with them long after they have left the museum.

Thank you for believing that comfort, care, and accessibility belong in every family space, especially for the children who need it most.

Thank you for helping us build a museum where every child has room to breathe, grow and belong.

Katie Mayer, Executive Director, Grand Forks Children's Museum