Bringing a Sertoma Club and Affiliate together — it’s hard to think of a more beautiful partnership than that. Thanks to the Sertoma Club Grant Program, a new program at the Capper Foundation has created a calming space for children to enjoy while receiving services through the nonprofit organization.

The Topeka Evening Sertoma Club chose Sertoma Affiliate Capper Foundation as the recipient of its 2025 Sertoma Club Grant to help build a pediatric sensory room in the Kansas nonprofit’s lobby. The organization provides pediatric therapy and adult care for individuals living with disabilities. It also offers adaptive recreation opportunities to patients and training for professionals and families.

Capper Development Advisor Stephanie Gassen shared that several aspects of the sensory room are already being enjoyed by the kids. She noted that patients have loved tactile features such as a weighted lap pad with sensory sequencing and the caterpillar activity wall panel. Kids seem to particularly enjoy the fun, interactive elements, including an elephant spin chair, tunnel, lava tiles and non-slip puzzle floor tiles.

However, it’s not just the patients enjoying the new sensory room. Gassen explained that one of the therapists’ favorite additions has been the magnetic fluorescent light covers, as they have made a noticeable difference in creating a calming atmosphere for patients and practitioners alike. New features such as a bubble tube, light-up hexagon panel, sound machine and remote-controlled color-changing fiber optic lights have transformed the space into an immersive and serene experience that has become a favorite for everyone at Capper.

“The room is being used so frequently we’ve decided to post a schedule on the door — a great problem to have!” Gassen said. “It’s clear how meaningful this space has already become for the children and therapists.”

The Topeka Evening Sertoma Club toured the space in late April thanks to Amy Douglas, a therapist in the Children’s Clinic at Capper.

To learn more about Capper’s work and mission, visit capper.org. The Topeka Evening Sertoma Club is one of Sertoma’s longest-tenured clubs, chartered on October 26, 1915. You can follow the club at Facebook.com/TopekaHeartlandSertomaClub.