Everett's Place Play Café

09/16/2026

Little Legacies, Big Impact: Ezra's Story

Ezra John Eldon Rosenbeck was just three years old when he passed away on August 7, 2026, after living with GM1 gangliosidosis, an incredibly rare and devastating disease. GM1 slowly took away his ability to sit, hold his head up, and move freely, but it could never take away his joyful spirit. Ezra loved music, being sung to, swinging in the wind, swimming, bath time, and most of all, his family. His life was short, but his impact was anything but small.

In honor of Ezra, his family has chosen to launch a $10,000 Little Legacy, Big Impact campaign to help bring Everett’s Place Play Café to life, a nonprofit being created to provide a safe, exceptionally clean, inclusive place for medically complex, disabled, and special needs children and their families to play, connect, and feel understood.

As part of Little Legacies, Big Impact, Everett’s Place will create a permanent Memorial Wall honoring children whose lives were far too short because of rare disease, illness, disability, special needs, and other medical challenges. A place where their names can continue to be seen, remembered, and celebrated.

For Ezra’s family, this campaign is a way to honor his life while helping create something they believe can make a lasting difference for other families like theirs. They believe having a facility like Everett’s Place Play Café will be invaluable to our community of caregivers, providing more than support, but a place to connect, belong, and feel understood by people who truly understand their journey.

If you followed Ezra’s story, loved him from afar, or simply believe his life deserves to be remembered, we invite you to help build his Little Legacy. Every donation helps us move one step closer to creating this special space and permanent memorial.

And if you have lost a child or loved one and would like to create a Little Legacy, Big Impact campaign in their memory, we would be honored to walk alongside you. Your campaign can be as big or as small as feels right for your family, or you can choose a private donation in honor of your loved one. However you choose to participate, their name and memory can become part of something lasting.

Reach out to us to learn more about creating their Little Legacy... Because every child deserves to be remembered. Every life leaves a legacy.🦓

Honoring Ezra’s Life Through a Legacy That Will Live On

09/16/2026

Introducing Little Legacy, Big Impact: The Memorial Project

As medical families, we know how deeply these children impact our lives. We also know that some families have had to say goodbye to their children far too soon. When we thought about the facility we are building, we didn’t want to forget those children.

We want their names to be part of this place.
We want their stories to be remembered.
And we want their lives to continue making an impact.

That’s why we created Little Legacy, Big Impact, a special opportunity to honor children who have passed away and give their families a place within the story of Everett’s Place.

There are two ways families can participate, depending entirely on what feels right for them:

💛A Private Memorial Tribute
Families can make a private $200 or more donation to have their child permanently honored on our Little Legacies, Big Impact Memorial Wall when our facility opens, with their name, photo, diagnosis, and a brief description of their story. There is no public fundraising or sharing required.

🦓A Legacy Campaign
Families who would like to involve their friends, family, and community can create a personalized online fundraising campaign in their child’s honor. 10% of what is raised will be donated to a medical research organization or nonprofit chosen by the family, while the remaining funds will help us build Everett’s Place and create a place for other medically complex children to play, connect, and belong.

There is no right or wrong way to honor a child, and there is absolutely no pressure to participate. This is simply an invitation.♥️

We believe there is something incredibly beautiful about building Everett’s Place not only for the children who will walk through our doors, but also with the memory and legacy of the children who fought their battles and left this world far too soon.

Their lives mattered.
Their stories matter.
And their little legacies can make a BIG impact.

If you know a medical family who has lost a child, please share this with them. Maybe this will offer a meaningful way to honor someone they love and keep their memory woven into a place created for children just like them.

09/11/2026

Children with cancer, rare diseases, disabilities, or medical complexities deserve a place of their own. This story I’m sharing is the moment it became real for me. The moment I realized my little dream could genuinely change lives outside of my own families! We will make this state of the art facility in Coles County Illinois come to life, but we need your help!!!
Reach out to your friends, your family, send them our Give Butter fundraising campaign link so they can donate to our startup! Every dollar matters!!🥹🙌🏻 Thank you for being here. Let’s change lives together!

09/06/2026

Immunocompromised children + Play Places = HARD NOPE.
We’re looking to change that in Central Illinois! Kids with cancer, rare diseases, autoimmune disorders, or anything that makes them more susceptible to germs.. they’re welcome during our Immunocompromised Play Times!
Kids who have hard lives deserve to enjoy childhood too! Stick around, help us spread the word, and be part of what builds this beautiful state of the art facility in Coles County IL!

09/03/2026

🎉 WE’RE ON TIKTOK! AND WE NEED YOUR HELP! 🦓

Go follow us on TikTok and help us spread the word about Everett’s Place!

We’re sharing the story behind this dream, the why behind Everett’s Place, and soon, stories from families who know what it’s like to navigate medical complexity, disability, special needs, caregiving, and all the beautiful, messy, HARD parts that come with it.

This is bigger than a play café, guys.

It’s about creating a place where families feel seen. Supported. Included. And never alone.
And we want YOU along for the journey. 🥹❤️

📲 FOLLOW & INTERACT WITH US ON TIKTOK
🔁 SHARE THIS POST
👯 TAG A FRIEND
🦓 HELP US GET THE WORD OUT

And if you want to help us turn this dream into a reality, you can support Everett’s Place through our new Givebutter! We’ve been blessed to be connected with some pretty major donors, but we need your help to show them that this mission and project is supported by our community!

Every follow. Every share. Every donation. Every conversation. It all matters.

Let’s build this together!!

07/08/2026

This is an amazing community initiative by Charleston Discount Grocery & their partners!!
If you’re able to give a single item, you’re making a difference! ♥️🙌🏻

🚛📚 CAN CHARLESTON FILL THE TRAILER? ❤️

We have a challenge for our community...

When we announced our August Back-to-School Bash, we were overwhelmed by all of the excitement, encouragement, and ideas from everyone. One conversation, in particular, helped turn a good idea into what we believe could become something really special.

We're excited to announce that Charleston Discount Grocery is partnering with Food 4 Kids for our August After Hours Shopping Event!

Together, we're launching what we hope becomes a new Charleston tradition...

🚛 FIRST ANNUAL
FILL THE TRAILER FOR FOOD 4 KIDS
2026 COMMUNITY CHALLENGE

Our goal is simple...

By the end of our Back-to-School Bash on Wednesday, August 5, we want to fill an entire trailer with donations to help local students and families start the school year strong.

Whether you donate one notebook, one backpack, one box of macaroni & cheese, or a whole shopping cart full, every donation matters. Every donation helps. Every donation stays right here in our community.

Instead of collecting only school supplies, we're inviting everyone to help us fill the trailer with both school supplies and kid-friendly, non-perishable food items.

🎒 School Supplies

• Backpacks
• Notebooks
• Pencils & Pens
• Crayons & Markers
• Glue Sticks
• Folders
• Scissors
• Highlighters
• Other classroom essentials

🥫 Kid-Friendly Food

• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Mac & Cheese
• Cereal
• Granola Bars
• Fruit Cups
• Applesauce
• Instant Oatmeal
• Ramen
• Shelf-Stable Milk
• Individual Snack Packs
• Canned Pasta
• Other kid-friendly pantry items

📦 YOU CAN START DONATING TODAY!

You don't have to wait until August 5.

We'll gladly accept donations during our regular business hours at:

📍 Charleston Discount Grocery
1500 Madison Ave.
Charleston, IL

We'll safely store everything in the back until event week.

Then, the week of the event, Food 4 Kids will bring in the trailer, we'll begin loading everything that's already been donated, and together we'll see if Charleston can completely fill the trailer before the end of the event!

🎉 BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH
Wednesday, August 5

🕔 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Join us for an evening of:

🛍️ Shopping Local
🍔 Great Food
🛒 After-Hours Shopping
🎁 Giveaways
🎶 Live Music (We're still looking for a local musician or small band!)
🎉 Family Fun
🚛 Fill the Trailer Challenge

📣 VENDORS & MUSICIANS WANTED!

We're still looking for:

🛍️ Local Businesses
🎨 Crafters & Artisans
🚜 Farmers
❤️ Nonprofit Organizations
🍴 Food Trucks
🎶 Musicians & Small Bands

If you'd like to participate, send us a Facebook message or email:

📧 [email protected]

This event is about so much more than shopping.

It's about neighbors helping neighbors.

It's about making sure local students have the supplies they need to succeed.

It's about helping local families keep food on the table.

It's about supporting an incredible local organization that serves children in our community.

Most importantly...

It's about showing what can happen when a community comes together for something bigger than ourselves.

Charleston has always been a community that steps up when people are in need.

Let's prove it again.

Let's fill this trailer.

Let's support Food 4 Kids.

Let's help local students start the school year with confidence.

❤️ We can't wait to see what our community can accomplish together.

FAITH. FAMILY. CHARLESTON.

06/28/2026

🚨We're so excited to introduce the Coles County Caregiver Collective 🤝

One of the biggest dreams behind Everett's Place has always been to create more than a play café... we want to build a village!
If you're a parent or caregiver of a child with medical complexity, a disability, developmental differences, a rare disease, chronic illness, or any other special healthcare needs, we'd love to welcome you into this new community!

This group is a place to:
🤍 Find encouragement
🤍 Connect with other local caregivers
🤍 Share resources and recommendations
🤍 Celebrate victories - big and small
🤍 Remember that no one has to walk this journey alone

✨ We also have an exciting announcement coming soon. 👀We're partnering with The Play Social in Effingham, IL for a special caregiver and family event, and we can't wait to share the details! If you haven't already, be sure to give their page a follow! They've been incredibly generous in supporting our mission, and we're so excited to see their wonderful success since opening this month!🥹🫶🏻

By clicking the group link in the title, join the Coles County Caregiver Collective today! Invite another caregiver who could use a village, and help us grow a community where every family feels seen, supported, and understood. 💙

06/11/2026

As a special needs mom (Annie) & sister (Glory), we don't just know these statistics. We live them.
And while these numbers are especially true for caregivers of medically complex children, the reality is that parenting itself can be incredibly isolating. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. We all need encouragement. We all need people who understand.
That's why Everett's Place is being molded into more than an indoor playground.
Yes, children will come here to play, imagine, learn, and explore...
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿!
A place where parents can take a deep breath.
A place where caregivers can find support.
A place where friendships are formed and burdens are shared.
A place where someone might hand you a cup of coffee, ask how you're really doing, and remind you that you're not carrying this hard life alone.🥹
Because sometimes what a caregiver or parent needs most isn't another appointment, another therapy, or another item on the to do list...
Sometimes they just need to feel seen.

𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕'𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕'𝒔 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆.

Our namesake, Everett, has faced some incredibly difficult medical challenges this year. As his parents navigate complex decisions about his care and future, their passion for building this nonprofit has only grown stronger! 💪🏼
Through every hospital stay, appointment, and uncertainty, we've become even more convinced that families and caregivers in our community deserve to be seen, supported, and cared for.
That's why we're being intentional about every connection we build, every program we create, and every activity we offer. Because the families in our community matter.

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴!

05/01/2026

Community Question of the week!

✍️What’s the best compliment you’ve ever been given as a parent? 🥹🫶🏻

📢 Tag a parent, and give them a compliment they deserve!♥️

04/27/2026

Thank you so much, Casey State Bank! 😍🦓

Today's 30 Days of Giving recipient is Everett's Place Play Cafe.

Everett’s Place Play Café is a full-service café & indoor children’s play center, offering specialty beverages and interactive play for kids ages 10 and under. Everett’s Place Play Café is a place where children can play freely in an environment designed with their health and safety at the forefront. Where every precaution of health is taken seriously and never overlooked. Where connections are made, friendships are formed, and no one feels alone in their journey.

Stay tuned as we continue giving all month long! ❤️

Pictured from left to right: Glory Deremiah, Co-Founder, Briana Phipps, CSB CSR, and Annie Banton, Co-Founder.