John Theissen Children's Foundation opens Family Fun Center in Wantagh

A dream came true in Wantagh on April 18, when John Theissen held a grand opening for his new Family Fun Center, which will offer free entertainment for sick and underprivileged children in the community.

The center, on Wantagh Avenue, is filled with a variety of fun activities and games that will bring a smile to a child’s face. It is also the new headquarters of the John Theissen Children’s Foundation, a nonprofit that helps sick and underprivileged children with donations and fundraisers.

The facility will host parties for kids who have cancer, or who are in financially unstable families. The foundation works with social workers who let Theissen know about children in need, who will be invited to use the center for events without charge. Inside are an arcade, an arts and crafts section, a candy station and a movie theater with a popcorn machine and video game systems connected to the screen.

According to the 53-year-old Theissen, a Wantagh native, former pharmaceutical representative and the founder and executive director of the foundation, seeing his vision come to life has been an extraordinary experience that is still sinking in.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” he said of the center. “It hasn’t hit me, because the last year and a half, it’s just been construction, and stressing out on if the funds were going to come in, and worrying about what the place was going to look like and how it was all going to come together.”

The building, which Theissen acquired in November 2022, used to be his old doctor’s office. The center, which was created with the help of grants, sponsorships and donations from the community, took nearly two years to build, with the structure’s interior gutted and replaced with facilities to accommodate children. Outside, dinosaur statues greet them as they enter the building, now painted red, the same color as Theissen’s late mother, Roberta’s, house in Wantagh. Roberta died in September 2020.

According to Heather Theissen, John’s wife, the old foundation headquarters was a small office in Wantagh that it quickly outgrew. John always wanted a larger space, Heather said, and his mother recommended that he buy the building after his doctor retired.

“John knew that this had to be his place,” Heather said, “because he’s always wanted a family fun center where kids could come who are battling illnesses, and a place that they can come for free and celebrate special occasions like their birthdays.”

In the basement of the center is the wish room, which has shelves filled with toys for everyone from infants to 17-year-olds — Legos, Nerf guns, Barbies and more. Gail Sherwood, a volunteer for the foundation since 2002, said that kids will come down to the wish room after their party to pick out three or four toys.

Every toy has been donated, according to Sherwood, and people call to ask what the foundation needs. She added that they are always in need of items for teens, such as makeup kits, gift cards, headphones and body spray sets.

“The community always steps up for John,” Sherwood said. “It’s incredible support.”

“These children have gone through so much,” Heather said. “They really deserve to be celebrated and to be treated like they’re super-important. We’re just so happy to be part of their journey.”

The new center is a dream come true for John, his wife said, adding that they are both grateful for the support from the community. “I’m just so proud of John,” Heather said. “He’s had this vision for so long, and it’s just so nice to see it come to fruition.”

Theissen began his journey to helping children in need in 1988, when he was 17 and was sent to Schneider Children’s Hospital, in New Hyde Park, to have a brain tumor removed. There he met Tasha, a 7-year-old patient who visited him while he was recovering. She had been given a teddy bear at a holiday party for patients, and she gave it to Theissen, who was moved by her generosity.

When he left the hospital, he promised he would be back to help the kids. In 1992 he held a toy drive, and collected more than 800 toys in two weeks. Since then his organization has collected more than a million toys, which have been given to children in more than 180 hospitals and child care facilities.

He thanked the community for supporting the new center. “Tonight, having this grand opening here with all the sponsors,” he said, “it’s just amazing.”

For more information on the John Theissen Children’s Foundation, visit jtcf.org.