Pistons Team Up With Nonprofit To Host 600 Families at Arena Event

The Detroit Pistons joined with A Kid Again to bring more than 600 family members to Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday. The event marked the fourth year the group and the team worked together to create a behind-the-scenes experience for children with medical conditions and their families.

"We give them opportunities to come to events like tonight to meet with other families going through similar situations as well as just giving them a time that they can be a family and be together," said A Kid Again executive director Amy Vining, according to WXYZ 7 News Detroit.

Vining's youngest son was born with craniosynostosis and had his skull remodeled at 4 months old at CS Mott Children's Hospital.

". . . I saw so many children that were a part of the hospital at that time that were going to have lifelong complications from the conditions that they had, and I knew at some point in my non-profit journey that I wanted to give back to those families," said Vining.

Vincent Larkins is a 9th grader. He, his mom, and his three brothers live with an undiagnosed rare neuromuscular disorder. Their mother Alison Zanella said the night gave her children a break from their routine.

"The only normal kid thing they do is go to school. Everything else is therapy and doctors appointments every day," said Zanella per WXYZ. "It was really just about a chance to give the kids a break and let them be kids for the night."

A Kid Again is a national group that provides free activities for children with life-threatening health conditions. A Kid Again Michigan was started in December 2021 and serves more than 1,850 Michigan families.