Project Playhouse reveals two new homes for kids with life-threatening illnesses

SMITHFIELD, R.I. (WLNE) — The student-run Project Playhouse approaches nearly a decade of bringing local kids battling life-threatening illnesses custom built playhouses, and it returned to Bryant university to surprise another group of kids.

Each of these brand-new play homes will go to a family in need of help and a child in need of cheering up.

“As of the last scan he’s been cancer free, so we’ve had a really crazy year, lots of things most kids don’t have to go through,” mother Melissa Nowicki said.

Local “mermaid” Zoe has been in treatment for leukemia since 2021.

“Zoe actually just made it to one year in remission in March, so 2024 is our year,” her mother Caree Smith said. “We’re finally in a place where we can just relax.”

Four-year-old “superhero” Brock started treatment for a brain tumor in 2023.

Both are now in remission.

Putting the homes together took long nights and hundreds of hours of work, but the students who worked on the project said the reactions from the children makes it all worth it.

“It was definitely a lot easier this year,” Coordinator Cassandra Hierl said. “Last year, I had never seen the project before and I put it on so it’s definitely great having some ground beneath my feet for this one. But again, all the work it doesn’t matter when you see these kids’ faces. It makes it all so worth it.”

The work begins in September and the students spent months making sure they can bring each kid’s dream to life.

“The students asked us his interests and his favorite colors and things that would make him happy,” Nowicki said.

Hierl said they raised around $20,000 this year and the gears are already turning to bring the project back for its tenth year.

“You know we want to do as much as we can every year so lining up our schools and our sponsors as far in advance as we can is great,” she said. “Because we already have some schools and sponsors lined up for next year that weren’t able to be a part of it this year.”

Heril says they’re always looking for more local business to get involved in making these kids dreams a reality.