Cutter student to collect donations for The CALL
A sixth-grader at Cutter Morning Star Elementary has made it his mission to “make the world a better place.”
From Jan. 15 to 17, Jacob Harbin will collect donations of clothes, diapers, toothbrushes and other necessities in drop boxes at both the elementary and high school buildings to give local children going into foster care the personal items they need. Donations will be taken to The CALL of Garland County.
“We have been a foster family for almost a year now, and when our first foster child came to us, he just had an outfit on and a backpack, but very few personal items,” Brandy Harbin, Jacob Harbin’s mother, said.
“Jacob originally wanted to have a hot cocoa sale with proceeds going to The CALL, but that was going to be a lot more involved. But then he had the idea of ‘what if the community donated items?’”
Jacob Harbin reached out to his school principal, Terry Lawler, asking what she thought of him making drop boxes available so students and staff could donate necessary items.
“I asked if I could meet with her, and I told her my idea,” he said. “She thought it was a great idea to make the world a better place one step at a time.”
Diane Wright, Garland and Hot Spring counties coordinator for The CALL, said Brandy Harbin reached out to her shortly before Christmas about her son’s idea.
“She told me this had been put on his heart to do, and we’re always excited when our young ones look for ways to help foster children,” Wright said. “We’ve actually been blessed in many ways by kids whether through donating diapers or using their birthday to collect donations. Often the kids understand long before the adults do.”
As for Jacob Harbin, she said, “he was seeing the work his family was doing in fostering children and he identified a way that he could help.”
“We love when people who maybe aren’t at a place in their life where they can foster find ways to help foster children in the community,” Wright said.
According to Wright, The CALL provides support to foster families in the community in various ways, including The CALL Mall located in the Goodwill Store and Donation Center located at 205 Garrison Road.
“As parents, it can be difficult to shop with children, so with The CALL Mall, we have volunteers who kind of act as personal shoppers,” she said. “If a child comes to a family and the family lets us know they are in need of clothes, diapers, anything, one of our volunteers will go get these items for them at The CALL Mall.”
The CALL works in partnership with the Department of Children and Family Services to recruit, help and train families to foster children. Donations of necessary items from the community help support these efforts.
“I think when Jacob first came to us, he was unsure if we would like the idea, but we are so happy to see a little guy like him want to help other children in the community,” Wright said.
For anyone interested in becoming a foster family or helping this organization, Wright said an information night will be held from 6-8 p.m. Jan. 23 at Piney Grove Methodist Church.