Washburn Center for Children

07/16/2026

Well done, Lauren Betts. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Da1epOvgBuP/?igsh=eGt3Z3pqazhkbXdr

The UCLA champion and WNBA rookie could have just talked about basketball when accepting her ESPY award this week. Instead, she also spoke about her mental health. "The strongest people aren't the ones who never struggle," she said. "They're the ones who have the courage to let someone walk through their struggle with them."

Lauren has been open about her own journey with depression, including seeking help and leaning on the people around her.

Using a national stage to say those things out loud takes real courage. And it matters. When someone so widely looked up to models that asking for help is a strength, it gives countless young people permission to speak up instead of struggling in silence.

That is exactly the message we hope every child and family at Washburn comes to believe: Healing is not meant to happen alone, and letting someone walk beside you is one of the bravest things you can do.

Thank you, Lauren, for using your voice. 🦋

07/03/2026

Awareness and watchfulness can help kids move calmly through 4th of July celebrations.

Chief Clinical Officer Jenny Britton shared with KSTP that fireworks can activate the same fear response children experience during real trauma, like the community violence the Twin Cities has experienced in recent years.

Bodies can be surprising. When fireworks go off at any time, unpredictably, it can activate our nervous system.

Kids react more intensely than adults because their brains are still developing. An adult may be able to reason through the sound. Yet it can affect anyone who has experienced trauma, at any age.
The biggest factor isn't the noise itself, it's whether it's expected. A planned fireworks display feels different than a surprise bang outside your home, day or night.

As we celebrate this weekend, compassion calls for us to consider how our neighbors are living through and recovering from trauma. A little awareness can help a child, or an adult, feel safer.
Read the full story: https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/annunciation-asks-neighbors-to-be-mindful-with-fireworks-this-fourth-of-july/

As Fourth of July celebrations begin across the city, families connected to Annunciation Church and School say the holiday brings renewed anxiety for children who survived last summer’s shooting inside the sanctuary.

06/18/2026

"You wouldn't build a house on a cracked foundation. The same is true for a child's life."

In 2025, donors and supporters like you ensured our team delivered more than 100,000 hours of care to children and families. We met kids where they are — in schools, in their home, in hospitals, in moments of crisis — and we showed up every single day.

Your generosity makes this possible. It closes the gap between what insurance covers and what high quality care costs. It keeps our clinicians present with the children who need them most.

Our 2025 Annual Report reveals the impact you made — and why continuing to invest in children's mental health is more important than ever.

🦋 Read it here: https://washburn.org/our-agency/

06/09/2026

The world just recognized what we already knew: the Twin Cities shows up for each other.

Now here's another way to do it. 💙

FREE Mental Health First Aid trainings are open this summer — and spots are filling. In one day, you'll learn to recognize the signs that someone is hurting and know what to do next. For kids. For adults. For the people you love.

Thanks to a SAMHSA grant, this training is completely free.

📅 Dates through September — youth and adult curricula available

🔗 See all dates and sign up: washburn.org/mhfa

06/03/2026

On Sunday, the Twin Cities received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award — for what this community did when federal immigration enforcement arrived with force and urgency that shook families to their core.

Children were watching all of it.

Fear and worry settled in. They watched the raids. They watched the adults in their lives try to hold things together under impossible pressure. And they absorbed it — into their bodies, disrupting routines and sleep, their ability to learn and trust and feel safe.

This is why we launched A Surge of Hope. The word "surge" meant something painful in Minnesota. We are reclaiming it — because the same courage that earned this city a national award is the same courage it takes to get a child into a therapist's office, to keep showing up, to believe recovery is possible.

One in three Minnesota students still reports symptoms of depression or anxiety. That number is coming down — proof that the right support works. But we are still in a crisis.

If the people of the Twin Cities can earn a Profile in Courage, we can meet this moment for our kids too.

A Surge of Hope starts here: onecau.se/_g5hcb1

05/31/2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. But today — the last day of May — the need doesn't pause for summer.

Right now, 1 in 3 children is struggling with their mental health. A major new study of 1.8 million children found that mental health concerns at pediatric visits have nearly doubled in the past decade. Anxiety is the fastest-growing issue our kids are facing.

At Washburn Center for Children, we're seeing this every day. Trauma and stress-related disorders are now the most common diagnoses among the children we serve. When immigration enforcement intensifies in our community, the fear doesn't stay behind closed doors — it follows kids to school, to the playground, into their sleep. Every child who experiences loss, grief, and trauma carries that weight too.

School's almost out — or for some, it already is. For many families, that means less routine, less stability, and fewer touchpoints with adults who notice when something's wrong.

This is exactly why our community needs to act.

Join our Surge of Hope and invest in kids' mental health. Because a child who gets help today becomes a healthy, whole adult that our community needs for a hope-filled future.

👉 onecau.se/_g5hcb1

05/22/2026

Washburn Center for Children will be closed in honor of Memorial Day on Monday, May 25. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health distress or crisis, call 988. If there is immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

Our team will resume regular business hours Tuesday, May 26.

05/17/2026

Healing from trauma doesn't happen all at once. It's a puzzle, broken into a million pieces — put back together one day at a time.

CNN's Michelle Krupa and photographer Liam James Doyle spent time with the Annunciation School community to tell that story. And in telling it, they captured what our team does every day: show up, stay present, and walk alongside students, caregivers and staff through the hardest moments.

Since September, our team has had a dedicated presence in Annunciation Catholic School. A teacher calls in: "Hi, Washburn friends. Can I get a Washburn helper in room 103?" — and someone is there.

We're grateful to Michelle and Liam for helping the world see what healing looks like from the inside.

📖 Read the full story: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2026/05/us/minneapolis-annunciation-school-shooting-recovery/
🎙️ Listen to the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cnn-one-thing/id1640318521

News Commentary Podcast · Updated Weekly · You’ve been overwhelmed with headlines all week – what's worth a closer look? One Thing takes you beyond the headlines and helps make sense of what everyone is talking about. Host David Rind talks to …

05/15/2026

05/15/2026

A child's story can change — with the right support, at the right time. Donate today: A Surge of Hope starts here.