Custom Built

Christopher Kids serves children through design

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER KIDS

They designed a bedroom for two sisters to share in partnership with Make-A-Wish.

BY LAUREN H. DOWDLE

Home is a place where families can come together to feel comfortable and safe. But for children with critical illnesses, disabilities, or other unique accessibility needs and their parents, that might not always be the case. That’s why Christopher Kids works to create spaces that are not only accessible, but also personalized to each child.

Chris Reebals, president and principal architect of Christopher Architecture & Interiors, started the nonprofit last June. Reebals and his team already had the expertise and talent to design spaces — but they also wanted a way to use that passion to create designs that would improve children’s lives. And the idea for Christopher Kids was born.

That’s when Caroline Shea, a Mountain Brook native and recent Auburn University graduate, joined the firm as the philanthropy coordinator. She had experience volunteering with nonprofits, and she also interned with Make-A-Wish Metro New York.

It was Make-A-Wish Alabama that contacted Christopher Kids about their first project, which included designing a space for a girl with a neurological condition and her sister to share.

After that one, they took on a solo project for a boy in Trussville who recently finished his leukemia medications and treatments. Right before his diagnosis three years ago, his father was getting ready to have their family’s basement finished.

But, that project was put on hold when his son became sick, leaving the space empty these past

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few years. The Christopher Kids team changed that by finishing the basement and adding a craft area, secret fort, and more.

“It’s a fun place they can use and have people over — and the project is no longer starring them in the face,” Shea says.

The team’s currently working on a seizure-safe space for a child who was recently diagnosed. That requires them to find a bed with certain dimensions, cover any sharp corners, space everything out, and take other precautions to ensure the child’s safety if they had a seizure.

“I never had to think about those kinds of things when I was picking out a room growing up,” Shea says. “We’re trying to take that burden and guesswork off of these families, while creating a place the children can be a kid and play.”

Christopher Kids is planning to take on one project per quarter. After that, they will see if they will do two projects a quarter or one a month, depending on the number of referrals and funding they receive.

Shea’s favorite part about her time at Christopher Kids has been the install day when they see the project come together and the family’s reaction.

“I’ve really loved getting to meet the families and kids and be a small part of making their lives a little easier,” she says.

Christopher Kids wants to focus their efforts on helping children with accessibility issues, since most homes weren’t built to accommodate them, Shea says. As an architecture firm, the team is able to get products most people couldn’t find in a regular store, relying on vendor relationships they’ve formed through the years.

In addition to creating an accessible, safe space, the Christopher Kids team also works with the children and family to ensure the space is representative of their personalities.

“It’s a way to bring accessibility, understanding, and beautiful designs to people who are having to think about 10 times more things than they should have to because of their child having an accessibility issue,” Shea says.

Children under the age of 12 who live in the Southeast and face chronic or critical illness, physical or intellectual disabilities, or other life-altering changes — such as life-threatening injuries, parental loss, or foster care — are eligible to receive service from Christopher Kids.

“We want to stick to younger than 12 so they can grow with the space,” she says. “We can make the biggest impact on their lives because they are probably closer to the age of their diagnosis.”

Anyone can refer a child to Christopher Kids, including parents, teachers, family members, friends, and therapists. People can also support the nonprofit through donations, corporate sponsorships, in-kind donations, and getting the word out about them.

“The best thing people can do is try to be involved and send good projects our way,” she says.

For more information or to submit a referral, visit Christopherkid.org.

The finished basement includes a craft area, secret fort, and more space for the family.

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