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A few years ago, Hunter Beaton was workin gon his Eagle Scout Project and decided to focus on helping foster children in his community. He was horrified to see that these children were carrying all their possessions in trash bags and grocery bags as they moved from shelter to shelter or in and out of homes. He began collecting duffle bags, backpacks, and vital document bags for these foster youth and distributing them throughout the community.
In the years since then, he has expanded the project to form Day1Bags. He began to reach out to all of Texas, then to communities across the United States. The projects have also expanded to include campaigns to Adopt a Senior from foster care, and a cool project calls A Serenity Activity Pack (ASAP - more below).
There are around 30,000 children in foster care in the State of Texas alone. Most spend 3 to 4 years in the foster care system, moving from shelter to shelter or home to home as their needs develop. Day1Bags has managed to provide 48,000 bags across 23 states thus far - and we hope to help them grow!
You can find several campaigns on the Day1Bags website, but Hunter is currently most interested in working on the ASAP campaign. This project is to provide first responders (especially law enforcement) with a bag filled with items like small toys, stuffed animals, coloring and activity books, and various comfort supplies for when they encounter children in trauma situations. The hope is that these supplies will allow the traumatized children to have a positive encounter with first responders, but also be able to remove themselves mentally from the trauma so they can help themselves and the first responders.
Another project for our crafty-minded Ladies - as part of their Adopt a Senior Campgaign, Day1Bags has been gathering handmade quilts, bags, and utility totes to give to seniors who are graduating from high school and from the foster care program. What better way to start your new life than with someting that is uniquely yours? Don't think the crafting possibilities end there! All of these kids need hats, scarves, gloves, and sweaters when it gets cold. Perhaps you have extra elastic and fabric and would like to make hair scrunchies. Your imagination is there limit here!
Do you have an idea for the project? Talk to your chapter and your fellow Dames. Contact us, and we will work with the team at Day1Bags to make it a reality. Remember that foster children often have very little to call their own, so let's help them feel loved by their Texas Dames!
You can check out the project atwww.day1bags.org, and you can see the "ASAP" and "Do You Sew?" campaigns on the site under "Campaigns." The site has wonderful links and resources, including Amazon Wish Lists and project ideas.
Charleen Mullenweg
State President
2025-2027
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