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Following the 2025 tornadoes in Kentucky, many families in the area are still rebuilding their homes, routines, and sense of security. Children are navigating their healing journeys with support from their community, caring neighbors, and committed organizations.
Kentucky Tornado Recovery: One Year Later, Families Are Still Rebuilding
While the tornadoes may have occurred more than a year ago, communities and families are still working to rebuild their lives and restore a sense of normalcy for themselves and their children. When speaking with community members, they recount the devastation: destroyed homes, lost neighbors, family members, and friends, and complete shock. But for many – especially children – the support, care, and resources provided today mean just as much as the ones after the immediate crisis has passed.
For children, when a disaster or tragedy strikes, their healing journey does not follow a map or a timeline. Instead, it winds and twists, and for many, their grief, confusion, and fears do not surface until later, requiring committed, sustained support from their families, teachers, care providers, and organizations like Project:Camp.
How Play Helps Children Heal After Disaster
Project:Camp, a Good360 partner, gives children a seemingly simple gift: the space to play. As part of an initiative to help kids work through the trauma caused by the tornadoes, they ran a free day camp during the first week of June. The camp was designed to give kids a place where they can process with their peers in a setting designed specifically for them.
“These kids have been through an enormous amount of stress and hardship, and they need a space where they can be supported and process what they went through,” Project:Camp Executive Director Mikey Latner said. “It’s also important that they find joy and have fun – play is inherently therapeutic and making sure kids have that in their lives goes a long way towards helping mitigate the long-term impact of this traumatic experience.”
The goal of this camp is for children to leave knowing they are supported, valued, and capable of overcoming challenges. Through dedicated camp counselors and caring volunteers from the community, children receive the support they need while getting to do the thing they are best at – being kids.
“What stands out most is the joy. From the moment children arrive, you can see them engaging in play, making new friends, and exploring activities that encourage creativity and confidence. Many of these children have experienced significant disruptions in their lives, and camp provides an environment where they feel safe, supported, and free to have fun.” – Mollie Harris, Violence Prevention Manager in the Nurturing Children Program at Common Spirit.
Providing Resources That Support Long-Term Recovery and Build Resilience
As children continue to recover, Mollie, who is also a parent and camp volunteer, shared that long-term needs include mental health support, academic support, school supplies, clean socks, new shoes, and the opportunity to be kids. That’s why Good360 partnered with Project:Camp to host Built to Play, a day filled with fun activities and distributing ‘play kits’ to each child.
Campers received backpacks filled with school supplies, stress relievers, and activities to keep them active and engaged during the summer months. They also walked away with new shoes, that made them “run faster and jump higher” as one child said. These items will carry them through these coming months and into the school year, ensuring they have what they need to thrive.
“Whether campers are rebuilding after a tornado or working to stay on track academically, everyone deserves to have the items they need to thrive. This event represents so much more than just delivering products. It’s about ensuring each camper has access to the tools they need to succeed and enjoy being a kid,”
– Cinira Baldi, CEO of Good360.
Good360 and Project:Camp: Supporting Children Through Play
Good360 and Project:Camp came together to provide a dedicated space to run, play, create, and build, and underlined the importance of long-term recovery efforts.
“Long-term recovery is about more than recovering from a disaster, it’s about helping children dream again. Whether it’s through a simple game, a new experience, or something as meaningful as opening a backpack and discovering a globe that reminds them of the possibilities beyond their current circumstances, we want children to know that their future remains bright and full of opportunity,” said Mollie Harris.
Through play, children process experiences, develop coping skills, and regain a sense of normalcy. By providing opportunities for play and recreation activities, Good360 and its partners are ensuring children have what they need to learn, grow, and dream.
From immediate disaster response to the long road of recovery, Good360’s Disaster Relief & Recovery and Play & Recreation programs ensure communities have what they need to rebuild and thrive
