For the past 160 years, McCarthy Building Companies—one of the oldest privately held national construction companies in the U.S.—has been devoted to serving its community both on and off the jobsite.
On Friday, Jan. 17, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, McCarthy teamed up with First Responder Kits4Kids to assemble relief kits designed to support children experiencing emotional trauma during emergency calls. In less than three hours, 25 employees from McCarthy’s Atlanta office, along with first responders from the Atlanta Police Department, South Fulton Police Department, Atlanta Fire Rescue and DeKalb County Police Department, assembled kits for more than 300 children. Each relief kit contained interactive items such as a Playtime Disposable Play Pad, crayons, a Rubik’s Cube, a toy first responder vehicle, Play-Doh, a puzzle game, noise-canceling earplugs, a colorful squeeze ball, hand wipes and an affirmation note from first responders.
“It’s really interactive. As far as putting the kits together, there’s a lot more that goes into it from an emotional standpoint,” says Kevin Gatlin, co-founder of Kits4Kids and CEO of Playtime Edventures, which makes bedsheets for hospitalized children on which they can play games and complete learning activities.
Kits4Kids relief kits were originally designed as a short-term distraction for children in hospitals, emergency rooms and acute-care settings. After witnessing the impact on children with high anxiety, Gatlin and his Kits4Kids co-founder, James Fisher-Davis, saw an opportunity to expand their use—helping first responders support children in times of uncertainty or trauma. Since then, First Responder Kits4Kids has received national recognition and endorsement from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
“We are just two dads who wanted to do something for first responders in our community,” Gatlin says. “When we created and put together items for the kit, we made sure to include things that would visually engage children as well as items like noise-canceling earplugs to help block out distressing sounds.”
Having previously worked with Gatlin on initiatives involving Playtime Adventures—including designing more than 600 get-well cards and donating playtime sheets to hospitals in Texas and Atlanta—McCarthy’s collaboration with First Responder Kits4Kids felt even more impactful than its previous initiatives.
“I had a conversation with the Atlanta deputy chief of police about how first responders use the kits. One story that really touched me was about domestic violence,” sais Stephanie Lee, McCarthy’s senior director of supplier diversity and community outreach. “When first responders arrive at a domestic violence situation, they often have to remove the child or place them somewhere safe. The kits serve as a distraction, helping take the child’s mind off the situation so they don’t have to witness a parent being handcuffed or taken away. He mentioned that many children experience this repeatedly.”
“When we’re doing community service projects, we’re doing it out of the kindness of our hearts. It’s just what we are about,” Lee says. “Partnering with organizations like Kits4Kids allows us to make a meaningful impact and help create a brighter future for kids and their families. We are honored to support this incredible initiative and to support Kevin as a small-business owner.”
For Gatlin, this work is more than just a job—it’s a calling.
“It reminds me of the phrase, ‘It takes a village to raise a child,’” he says. “When you bring the team and the first responders together, they’re the village, and we’re all there on behalf of the children. It’s really cool to be a part of.”
