Co-workers at the child and adolescent campus do not refer to Subacute Latency Children. Everyone calls them 'Charie's Kids'. And indeed they are. Charie has been at this campus for more than 25 years and the majority of that time she has served this group. Charie is an advocate for her kids, whether battling insurance companies for a new drug or consult or arguing safety concerns.
Charie goes over and above to make the unit a little more like home. Go to the unit any Saturday morning and you will find her manning the griddle making fresh waffles, pancakes, or french toast with all the trimmings. Or, on a weekend night, you can find her with her trusty popcorn popper and slushie machine. No one recognizes the time she spends planning, purchasing, preparing, and cleaning up just to make an ordinary day into a special one.
With Charie, life lessons are very important. She realizes that some of her charges have never lived in a 'normal' home. So, in the fall, she takes them to the garden to plant pumpkins. Every day they water and weed. They watch the pumpkins sprout and grow. They pick the pumpkins and help Ms. Charie make pies for Thanksgiving. Many of the children have never seen food go from garden to table.
Christmas is a difficult time for 'Charie's Kids'. Most cannot be at home or have no home. But the unit always smells of fresh baked cinnamon bread, hot apple cider, Wassel, or other Christmas goodies. At Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner the children eat at a table with real dishes, tablecloths, and all the trimmings. Every holiday she decorates the unit and gives it a festive feel. Ms. Charie tirelessly works to make each child feel special and make each day a little brighter.