Grant to help give foster kids shopping experience
Citizens Caring for Children has announced it has received a $10,000 grant from the Kirkpatrick Family Fund. This grant will help provide clothing, hygiene kits and books for seasonal appointments in the Resource Center and clothes, backpacks and school supplies for its Back2School program.
The Resource Center, set up like a boutique store, is a place where foster parents are able to “shop” quarterly for the basic necessities of foster children in their care. Children use decision-making skills to select their clothing, build their own identity and experience the confidence that come with taking pride in their appearance.
Back2School matches a personal shopper with a foster child to help them pick out the perfect back-to-school outfit, backpack and school supplies to help each foster child be excited about going to school.
“The Kirkpatrick Family Fund grant will provide Resource Center visits for more than 100 foster children,
providing them with two new outfits, socks, shoes, sports bras, underwear, pajamas and two books,” Lynne Roller, executive director, said in a news release. “We are very grateful for this grant in support of our work to improve the lives of children living in foster care.”
Currently, there are more than 7,400 children living in Oklahoma’s foster care system. Founded in 1984, Citizens Caring for Children provides clothing, shoes, duffel bags, books, school supplies and other necessities to children living in foster care each year, through programs and services, including the Resource Center, Back2School and Joy4Kids. For more information, go to www. cccokc.org.