Blues duo help EITC give Alder Hey youngsters a boost
Everton stars Morgan Schneiderlin and Jonas Lössl visited Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, to find out more about the morale-boosting play therapy sessions that Everton in the Community staff deliver on the wards.
The Blues duo joined Everton in the Community’s disability coach Mark Dolan on his daily rounds at one of Europe’s busiest children’s hospitals, where the Club’s official charity have been providing play therapy sessions for more than 10 years. Schneiderlin and Lössl accompanied Dolan as he made his way around wards 4A and 4C with a trolley full of toys and games, all designed to provide fun activity, interaction and support for children and their siblings.
Everton in the Community have joined forces with BBC Children in Need and the Premier League and dedicated Saturday’s home fixture against West Ham United to raising awareness of Children in Need’s quest to ensure that every child in the UK has a childhood which is safe, happy, secure and allows them the chance to reach their potential. As part of the matchday build-up, Everton had gifted important matchday roles to young children from BBC Children in Need funded projects in the North West, including a junior Club photographer, stadium safety officer, stadium announcer, junior reporter and Premier League matchday manager, as well as a behind the scenes first-team staff experience.
After learning more about the work Everton in the Community does in conjunction with BBC Children in Need, midfielder Schneiderlin said: “We have had a really fun day with the children at Alder Hey and played some card games and board games with them. It was beautiful to interact with them and spend a few moments with them because they have been through a difficult time. It just puts reality into perspective, and when we can help others it is the best thing we can do in our job.” In June 2018, Everton in the Community’s disability programme was awarded a three-year grant of £89,823 from BBC Children in Need which has helped to support the charity’s work in providing football and sporting activities to disabled children across Merseyside, giving them the same opportunities as their non-disabled peers.
Everton Free School
