GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Helen Devos Children's Hospital is helping students unable to go to school due to illness continue their education with their own curriculum called Club TCB.
Tuesday was the first day of class for a handful of children currently fighting a life-threatening illness.
Club TCB, or Taking Care of Business is a daily, one-hour elementary experience for children at Helen Devos who are unable to attend school. Sarah Smith, a hospital teacher and school liaison, says this is the second year for the program, which is funded entirely through philanthropy.
"In 2016 we had over 400 kids attend our group session and we had over 1,000 who did it remotely at their bed side," Smith said. "We feel like this is a good opportunity to keep them connected, get their brains engaged, and give them a good distraction for why they're here."
It doesn't matter if the children are at the hospital for a day or a month, every child in kindergarten through fifth grade is encouraged to attend Club TCB.
Click this link for information on how you can donate financially or with your time.
"It really feels nice just to have people saying you're tough," said Lindi Hollinger, a TCB student at Helen Devos Children's Hospital. "You can do school work even though you’re out of school half the time."
