HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Clothed in Compassion, a nonprofit pediatric therapy clinic based in Hutchinson, will celebrate its third anniversary Saturday, Oct. 18, with its first in-person benefit dinner and silent auction to support children and families receiving therapy services in Reno County and surrounding areas.
Founded in 2022 by Dr. Megan Bartley, an occupational therapist and Hutchinson native, Clothed in Compassion provides physical, occupational, and speech therapy for children from birth through young adulthood. The clinic serves more than 60 families each week, with more than 90 children still on its waiting list.
“We lack access to affordable, accessible health care for our kiddos with disabilities here in Reno County and surrounding counties as well,” Dr. Bartley said. “We just work really hard to create space where children can learn really important life skills, how to regulate emotions, learn new speech patterns, but also just grow. And we love to support the family as a whole so that we can equip the family to carry over the strategies they learn in sessions at home and in the community.”
The benefit dinner will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, at First United Methodist Church, 101 East 1st Avenue.
“We are celebrating our third birthday on Saturday, October 18,” Bartley said. “This is our first in-person benefit event, and it’s happening at our clinic. We are currently renting space from First United Methodist across the street from the post office, and so we will be at the east entrance that evening. We are offering a full home-cooked dinner that starts at 5 p.m., tickets for dinner are $30 per person, and we do have takeout options if you're not able to attend the event in person.”
The event also features an online silent auction with more than 70 donated items totaling about $9,000 in value.
“We’ve got all sorts of things,” Bartley said. “We’ve got sports tickets and car care packages and family outing experiences. We’ve got all sorts of things, and some of our items start at just $4, so really, there is something for everyone. But the auction itself will happen online, so if you attend dinner with us in person, you can see all of the items, but then bidding itself will happen just registered to your phone.”
The evening will also include family-friendly activities, such as the chance to “pie” one of the clinic’s therapists, and earlier in the day, clinic tours will be available by appointment from 2 to 4 p.m.
“We wanted a fun way to engage the kiddos that we serve, and honestly, anyone else in the community who wants a chance to pie some of us,” Bartley said. “We will have plates of whipped cream available for purchase, essentially at our auction, and all of those proceeds again go right back into our clinic.”
Dr. Bartley said the fundraiser helps the organization continue its mission of going beyond weekly therapy sessions.
“At Clothed in Compassion, we go far beyond just our weekly sessions,” she said. “We offer a series of sensory-safe events that are free to the community. We also provide Equipped, which is our monthly book support group for parents, to provide a space to celebrate the highs but also to support each other through the lows. I do a lot of training in the community for students and professionals. We provide sensory-safe haircuts, and we also have a scholarship fund to keep services accessible to families who need them most. And none of that happens without our community support.”
For more information or to register for the event and silent auction, visit clothedincompassion.org.