"Senior Shower"

After my post last week regarding hoarding and simplifying life, one of my friends suggested a program where our "gently used" household items can be put to good use if we are getting rid of extra stuff. (While this is a program for the West Plains area, if you live somewhere else, you can check with your local Division of Family Services to see if there is something similar in your area.) Kathleen Aid has shared the following:

"Life is difficult after high school, especially for foster teens who do not have support from parents. To that end, members of the WPHS/MSU Associates Program are collecting items for graduating foster teens. Every item donated can help them start a new life after high school. These items will be distributed through Chaffe Foster Care Independence Program.

"Items needed include: toiletries, cleaning supplies, kitchenware, cookware, bedding, mattresses, irons, ironing boards, furniture, home décor, TVs and home appliances. Collections will be made through May 21, 2010. Donations can be dropped off at West Plains High School room 106 on Wednesdays and Fridays or other arrangements can be made by contacting Adam Chen at 274-2478, Jeremiah George at 293-7976, or Kathleen Aid at 256-6150. Please help these foster teens by donating new or gently used items!"

As I have become more familiar with the plight of foster kids through my volunteer work with the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) program, I see these young people as survivors, inspite of the hopelessness they feel at the prospect of having no control over their own lives. The majority are in the care of the State because they have been neglected or abused, and they long to lead a "normal" life; the olders ones want to be typical teenagers with the usual concerns of being young.

Instead, their childhood innocence has often been stolen, or they're forced to be the "grown up" in what remains of a fractured family; their lives are usually nothing approaching normal, even in the best of foster situations. The ones who "age out" of the system definitely need every bit of help we, as communities and individuals, can give. I urge you to use this opportunity as a way to show God's love by supporting this wonderful program and also to learn more about the CASA organization which provides crucial support for children in foster care.

The National CASA website is casaforchildren.org. You can go there to learn more about CASA and whether or not it is available in your area. For information about CASA in the West Plains area, visit the website 37thcasa.net.