Thank You, Big Lots, for Giving Big for children's mental health!
Thank you Big Lots, and your dedicated customer and associates, for your point-of-sale fundraising campaign benefitting On Our Sleeves and Nationwide Children's Hospital. The campaign included Big Lots stores across 47 states and raised millions of dollars on behalf of the movement for children's mental health. In the past five years, Big Lots has raised more than $28 million in support of On Our Sleeves and Nationwide Children's.
"Big Lots and their customers from all over the country continue to demonstrate their kindness following another successful campaign," said Steve Testa, President, Nationwide Children's Hospital Foundation. "This generosity will impact all the patients and families who will walk through Nationwide Children's Hospital's doors for years to come."
Together with Big Lots and the Big Lots Foundation, Nationwide Children's is taking a stand to advance the treatment, research, and care associated with pediatric Behavioral Health. For too long this patient population has gone undiagnosed and underserved. Through Big Lots’ transformational partnership, the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion opened in 2020. It is America’s largest center dedicated exclusively to child and adolescent behavioral and mental health on a pediatric medical campus.
In addition to being a distinguished corporate sponsor, Big Lots associates are generous with their time. Since 2013, volunteers from the Big Lots corporate office in Columbus have visited the hospital’s Family Resource Center twice a month to deliver a variety of books and healthy snacks to patient families. Furthermore, Big Lots is a sponsor of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon Encore Mile. Each mile along the marathon route is represented by a hospital patient champion and the Encore Mile welcomes past marathon Patient Champions to help cheer on race participants.
Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion
In recognition of the transformational $50 million gift from Big Lots and the Big Lots Foundation, Nationwide Children’s Hospital named the new behavioral health treatment and research center in their name. When it is completed in 2020, this pavilion will be the largest research and treatment facility, on a pediatric campus, in the country.
In March of 2020, the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion opened its doors. Featuring inpatient services, intensive outpatient services, a Psychiatric Crisis Department and research all under one roof, this integrated pediatric behavioral health approach serves as a model for other health care systems across the nation. Go on a behind the scenes tour of this state-of-the-art building, in the video above.
Thank you Big Lots for a BIG move to create a brighter future for our next generation!
As Seen on the TODAY Show
The Big Lots Behavioral Health pavilion was featured on the Mind Matters series on TODAY. Watch How one hospital is making a difference for kids with mental health issues.
Big Lots Behavioral Health Scholarship
The Big Lots Behavioral Health Scholarship is an award of up to $10,000 to the support of a graduate student pursuing education and training in Behavioral or Mental Health, Psychology, or Social Work. This scholarship is made possible by Big Lots Foundation and held by the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Meet the 2021 Big Lots Behavioral Health Scholarship Recipient
Ayan Haji
The Ohio State University
Meet Ayan Haji, recipient of the 2021 Big Lots Behavioral Health Scholarship. Ayan is currently working towards a master’s degree in Counselor Education with a projected graduation date in 2023.
As a Mental Health Specialist II on the Psychiatric Crisis Department team at the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio, Ayan practices a trauma informed care approach with patients, families, and team members.
While working towards her bachelor’s degree in psychology at The Ohio State University, Ayan served as the Community Outreach representative and President of the Somali Students’ Association, working with local community members to design and implement community events for the Somali student population. The goal of these efforts is to begin to bridge the gap between the negative stigma associated with mental health and accessible community-based resources.
Ayan also completed an independent honors research thesis after working alongside Dr. John Gibbs, a psychology faculty member at The Ohio State University. They studied the effects of hope therapy on youth offenders, teaching techniques to children in this situation to explore their personal strengths and establish long-term goals.
Ultimately, Ayan wants to be in a position to develop more community-based events to help spread awareness and bring resources to community members with a method that is comfortable for their culture. This includes translators at events, organizing events in spaces they recognize, and targeting the events towards specific issues. She would also like to assist employers that have a high number of immigrant associates to organize employee assistance programs – assisting with therapy, financial and legal education and counsel to provide a full and equal opportunity.
"Give Big" Named Gold Halo Award Winner
Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Big Lots Foundation were named the Gold Halo Award Winner in the Point of Sale Campaign category. The Halo Awards, presented by Engage for Good, are North America’s highest honor for corporate social responsibility initiatives and cause marketing campaigns targeted at consumers and/or employees. This prestigious CSR and cause marketing award looks at social good campaigns targeted at consumers and/or employees involving a company and cause.
Read more about our Gold Halo Award.
Give Big with Big Lots
Your gift supports life-saving pediatric behavioral health research.