Kids on the Block
Portland, ME

Creative Discovery Museum
Chattanooga, TN

Using approachable, engaging puppets to help children understand the realities of living with disability, the Kids on the Block program encourages candid conversations and the acceptance of differences.

In 2009, a grant from Unum allowed the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine to launch its own Kids on the Block program in Portland. Unum also supports the Kids on the Block program in Chattanooga through sponsorship of the "Kids Like You, Kids Like Me" exhibit at the Creative Discovery Museum, which features the puppets.

Each puppet has a unique background story to help children understand a range of disabilities, and children in the audiences are encouraged to ask the puppets questions after the shows. The program was created more than 30 years ago by a special education teacher who wanted to help non-disabled children understand that they have more in common with children who have disabilities than they may realize.

In addition to financial contributions, Unum’s support for the program includes the volunteer efforts of employees and their family members. Scott Charette, director of Inforce Block Management for Unum, has been on the board of the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine for more than three years, and he is working to expand the reach of the Kids on the Block program.

"We’re hoping to take the program on the road to local schools, and we are planning our first outreach at Unum this year as part of our annual Take Our Kids to Work Day," Charette says.

Behind the scenes at Kids on the Block, 13-year-old Claire Devlin has been a puppeteer for the program since it launched in Portland last year. Her father, Chris Devlin, works as an assistant vice president and senior counsel for Unum.

"I’ve made some good friends working with Kids on the Block," Claire says. "And I have learned some things I didn’t understand about disabilities like cerebral palsy and blindness."