Matt’s Maker Spaces keep memories alive, create new ones
Noelle Conover addresses the crowd at the Celebration of Courage Sept. 28 at Cancer Bridges in Pittsburgh蘑菇视频 Strip District for the official opening of a Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Space.
Jaxson Jarosinski, Cancer Bridges member, with Abby Briscoe, family and youth program manager for Cancer Bridges
Among those in attendance at the Celebration of Courage were, from left, Micayla Reynolds, Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Space lead maker at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital; David and Noelle Conover, and Julie Snyder, Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Space board member and teacher in the Mt. Lebanon School District.
Since 2016, Noelle and David Conover have established places for families to create, collaborate and tinker, while at the same time keeping the memory of their son, Matt, alive.
The latest Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Space was unveiled recently at Cancer Bridges in Pittsburgh蘑菇视频 Strip District, officially opened in September with a Celebration of Courage for families impacted by pediatric cancer. They are named after Matt Conover, who died from non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2002, nine days before his 13th birthday.
鈥淗e fought a valiant battle,鈥� recalled his mother. 鈥淚t was just too hard for him. It was a form of cancer that really just beat him down.鈥�
Noelle Conover, a Mt. Lebanon native who now lives in Lawrenceville, said the Celebration of Courage was a great event.
鈥淲e saw a lot of families,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey love the space. It was wonderful to know families like ours have a spot where they can go to, to really feel together and remember their child and bring their child who蘑菇视频 having treatment.鈥�
Abby Briscoe, family and youth program manager for Cancer Bridges, is excited that a Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Space is available for those who use the location on Smallman Street.
鈥淥ne of our big points of focus in the family and youth program is providing opportunities for families to connect,鈥� Briscoe said. 鈥淗aving a Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Space allows us to bring kids together, bring teens together and bring families together. When kids and adults are participating, it brings everyone to the same level. To have a space where we can create that environment and use the technology and use the skills to make the memories in the moment is really, really important to us.鈥�
In 2016, the Conover family honored Matt蘑菇视频 memory by establishing maker spaces in the libraries of seven Mt. Lebanon elementary schools.
鈥淭hat community just surrounded us with love when he passed and when he was sick,鈥� Conover said. 鈥淎fter we got ourselves up off the ground as a family, we decided to go back to the school and ask if there was anything we could do.鈥�
The idea of a maker space was suggested 鈥� a place for kids to work with their hands, an educational experience outside of the classroom and an ideal place to put in to practice all of the principles of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math).
Matt had an interest in hands-on learning, building with Legos and letting his creativity and imagination guide him, so the idea of a maker space seemed a perfect way to honor his memory.
鈥淢att was a tinkerer,鈥� said his mom. 鈥淗e was the kind of kid that would build with Legos, but he wasn鈥檛 going to build what was on the box. He was going to build what was in his head. He was just a good kid.鈥�
Having a Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Space at Cancer Bridges is important to Conover since she is a longstanding member of the organization蘑菇视频 board of directors.
鈥淚 believe in everything they do there,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 believe what they offer to families who are going through cancer, there is nothing like it. When we were going through this, there was nothing like it. Now there蘑菇视频 a place where families can go to heal.鈥�
Cancer Bridges supports those affected by cancer through a variety of free programs and services.
Briscoe said the Conover family already had provided Matt蘑菇视频 Media Room, a place for movie nights and playing video games or other types of programs in a welcoming area.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been involved with the family and their mission and the nonprofit through the years, but this is the first time we鈥檝e been involved in the maker aspect of it,鈥� Briscoe said.
Since 2016, 40 Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Spaces have been established at locations such as Children蘑菇视频 Hospital, where Conover works; UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, Point Park University and various other schools.
The location at Cancer Bridges is just one of six Matt蘑菇视频 Maker Spaces opening this fall, with others at schools in the Pittsburgh City and Carlynton school districts. A maker space garden will open at St. Paul蘑菇视频 Episcopal Nursery School in Mt. Lebanon.
鈥淗e would be so happy,鈥� Conover said of her son. 鈥淚 will tell everybody about him every day and that keeps him really close to my heart.鈥�