 Show CANOGA PARK (KABC) — When you think of a suitcase, you think of a vacation, right? For foster children who sometimes go from one home to another and then another, this piece of luggage has a very different meaning. Normally, the children are given a trash bag to put their belongings in. But inside this San Fernando Valley luggage store, Los Angeles County foster children are given something they can call their own to store their personal belongings. “It helps a child to feel like a child, like they belong, or have some belongings. So no matter where they move, these are things that are mine,” said Theresa Reed who works in foster care education at Pasadena City College. She herself was once in the foster care system. The luggage program started a few years ago. Mark Stern and his family have owned H. Savinar Luggage, their Canoga Park luggage business, for more than 30 years when he was approached by L.A. County to help. “They actually thanked me for cleaning out their closets. They brought their suitcases in perfect shape. They might have a little mark in them but they still had the wheels, which was important. And we just kept gathering suitcase after suitcase and it worked out to be a really good program in the last 7-8 years,” said Stern. What kind of message does it send when too often children in the foster care system are given a trash bag to put their possessions in when it’s time to move because there are no luggage or duffle bags available? The wrong kind of message. “It’s so sad because not only are they being traumatized moving from their families, but they’re seeing all the stuff they value stuffed into a trash bag,” says Erica Chait, a social worker with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. “We wanted them to have something permanent, something not equated to trash,” she said, “a sense of dignity.” She found that sense of dignity in the oldest, family-owned luggage store in Los Angeles – H. Savinar Luggage, dating back to 1916 in downtown Los Angeles, with a Valley location opened in Canoga Park in 1986. A banner outside proudly proclaims its been around for over 100 years – “We Must Be Doing Something Right.” The Valley store is owned by Mark Stern, who has been in the luggage business going on 50 years. Like all mom-and-pop stores, he’s been fighting the trend to online shopping and the Amazon monster baying at his door. It can bay all it wants because he has something Amazon can’t sell – a hand shake, a smile, and a sense of dignity to make sure those foster care kids never have to fill up a trash bag with their possessions again. He and Erica started a program called “Bags of Hope” – offering gently used suitcases donated by his customers to foster care children. So far, they’ve given out more than 600 suitcases, but things slowed down last year when he closed for six months due to the pandemic. Now, he’s open for business again. Read Full Article A Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a trained, dedicated and caring community volunteer assigned to lift the voice of a child in foster care. CASAs are sworn in by dependency court judges to advocate for what is in the child’s best interest. With legal standing to fully investigate a child’s circumstances, CASAs make recommendations to the court regarding how the system and community can best serve and support the child. Our volunteers have the ability to broadly influence the life of a foster child by advocating across many important life issues, including permanent placement, health care, education, mental health and enrichment activities. Our most significant accomplishments happen every day – when an overlooked opportunity is found, a service is secured or an adult connection is made that will help keep a child safe and give him or her an opportunity to succeed. Information sessions sign ups are here, as well as more information about becoming a CASA. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Christopher Scarver, who killed Jeffrey Dahmer in prison, said in 2015 that he did it because Dahmer taunted inmates with foodIn 2015, Christopher Scarver, the inmate who killed Jeffrey Dahmer, said he did it because Dahmer taunted inmates by shaping his food into body parts. Hope In A Suitcase gives, “tangible hope to foster children.” As a crafty person there are a variety of ways your creativity can support this wonderful organization. For years I have heard about how many foster children transport their belongings in trash bags as they are brought to a new home. And frankly, I wasn’t sure how to help. Hope In A Suitcase is the answer for children in Los Angeles. Their mission is to, “provide children and teens in foster care with a suitcase and the essentials they need to make their transition to the foster care system just a little easier.” The organization has a wish list of items they need for each suitcase. Some are items you can purchase and donate, but they also welcome appropriate handmade items. This is where Create To Donate comes in! Get Crafty For Hope In A SuitcaseSo I contacted the Hope In A Suitcase team to learn more about the types of handmade items that are most suitable for their current needs. After some wonderful exchanges, I learned they would love the following: handwritten notes, hair accessories, and toiletry bags. Handwritten Notes Or CardsHandwritten notes will never go out of style! The foster children who benefit from Hope In A Suitcase would love a handwritten note or card with a nice picture/illustration/decoration. Write a whole note of encouragement or, if you get hit with writer’s block, just send a simple note with something like:You are beautiful. – You are strong. – You are special. – You are loved. Quite frankly, why not just combine all four of the above? If you’re looking for a fun new project, try making an inspirational card with a Dollar Store lei or make a handmade card with an easy origami heart (shown above). Hair AccessoriesFor those of you looking for the next step to test your “craft for a cause” skills, Hope In A Suitcase also needs hair accessories. Why not make a felt bow and attach it to a hair clip or headband (hello again Dollar Store!) or use up some of your fold over elastic to make some simple elastic hair ties? I am going to make some felt bows and simple hair ties and attach them to a decorated 3 x 5 card using one of the simple messages from above. I think that will add a nice touch and each part of the gift can be saved as a reminder that someone is thinking of them. Toiletry BagsThe first two items are all-ages thing because they are something a child of any age would appreciate. While this last item, a toiletry bag, may be something that isn’t always age-specific, it is something Hope In A Suitcase needs most for their tween and teenage population. They are used to putting all of the necessities for tween and teenage boys and girls in the same clear bag. And I kept thinking about how going through all of the changes that happen at that age aren’t already enough to wreak havoc on a child’s psyche. Just imagine going through them without a trusted support system! It’s a lot to handle for any adult, meaning it would be even harder for a child in transition. So while a toiletry bag may not be able to dispense helpful advice, it can show foster children that someone cares. In discussing the idea further, Marsha explained that it could be as simple as buying a large vinyl toiletry bag (pictured above) and decorating it in some way. I wanted to go a little bit bigger, however, and make it really unique while also using up some of the great fabrics that I have in my stash and work on my zipper skills. I even created a tutorial on how to make a simple toiletry bag to give you an idea on something that would be fun for the kids. Ideally, Hope In A Suitcase would receive a finished toiletry bag that includes a handwritten note and is filled with the following:new toothbrush – new toothpaste – hairbrush – hair accessories – deodorant – lotion – feminine hygiene products – lip balm What Hope In A Suitcase Doesn’t Currently NeedIt is important to note that there are some things on Hope In A Suitcase’s main wish list that they don’t currently need: blankets, baby caps, or booties. Where To Send DonationsPlease send donations to: Hope in a Suitcase Make Crafting For A Cause A Family AffairThe beauty of crafting for a cause is that not all parts of creating something require crafty skills. If you want to make this a family project, for example, you can take your kids with you to shop for the items to fill the bags you make and then physically fill the bags once they’re ready. The kids (depending on their ages) could also write a handwritten note and Hope In A Suitcase recipients would open the toiletry kit to a bunch of notes of just for them. When you make something for Hope In A Suitcase after reading this post, please connect with me on Instagram (@goodsgivingback) and tag your post #create2donateHIAS so that I can repost your wonderful creations on the Goods Giving Back FB page and the IG feed. Happy Crafting! If you are looking for some additional sewing projects that you could do to give back to the community, check out the Craft For A Cause Pinterest Board. What is hope in a suitcase?What is Hope in a Suitcase? Hope in a Suitcase Australia is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers who are incredibly passionate about showing every child in the foster care system that they are loved and valued by their community.
Where can I donate a suitcase for foster care in Ohio?The Buckeye Ranch. Support for The Buckeye Ranch will provide suitcases for 100 children and youth in foster care and residential services in Ohio. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS!
Who donates the most to foster care?One of its largest funders has been Casey Family Programs of Seattle, Washington, which has provided more than $13 million for scholarships for former foster youth since 2000. An important collaborative in this arena is the Youth Transitions Funders Group (YTFG).
How do I donate to foster care in NYC?Donate by mail or wire
To give by mail, please print and mail this donation form along with a check, money order, or cash to the below address. Kindly make all checks and money orders payable to “The Fund for the City of New York/CASA-NYC.”
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Donate luggage to foster care Los Angeles
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