Assistance League of Southwest Washington volunteers help
Just because they care
Volunteers with the Assistance League of Southwest Washington work briskly to set up for the “Teen Day” at the Department of Health and Human Services in Vancouver last week. On Thursday, children in foster care were able to attend the event and select two complete outfits in preparation for the start of the new school year. Approximately 220 children ages 10 to 18 participated. Christine Clements
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
For the past three months, a group of dedicated local women has been busy shopping at local stores for children’s clothing as kids prepare to head back to the classroom after a long summer break.
But these clothes are not for their own sons and daughters. Instead the boys and girls who are on the receiving end of the new outfits are part of the foster care system, and if it wasn’t for the work of the volunteers with the Assistance League of Southwest Washington many of them would be without something special to wear for the first day of school on Sept. 4.
“We know that oftentimes teenaged kids in foster care are in special need of clothing, and by working with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services we can provide necessary items,” said Jeanne Lightburn, Assistance League chapter president. “After all, what better way to kick off a new school year than with a new outfit?”
DSHS Children’s Administration Program Consultant Peggy Hays explained the impact that something as simple as a new item of clothing can have on a child in foster care.
