School Shopping for foster kids

For the last six years I have been volunteering at a summer camp for foster and adopted kids. The first two years were at a Royal Family Kids Camp where we spent a week letting the kids be kids at camp. The last four years I have been volunteering at TRAC camp, a weekend getaway for middle school and high school kids. Along the way I have met some wonderful children who have had terrible things happen to them. They have been taken from the only homes they know - out of necessity because they were being abused, neglected or their parents ended up in jail. They were then put into foster homes - some of which are awesome, safe and loving places, but some of which are the stereotypical "foster home".

A couple of years ago our church began a Teen Night Out program and we invited our middle and high school camp attendees (boys and girls) to join us once a month for an excursion. For our first excursion of the year we  take the kids back to school shopping and that is where you can help. Our church budget simply can't afford to take 12-15 kids shopping!

Many foster kids NEVER get to shop for new clothes. They are taken to Goodwill, or a consignment shop or happy with hand me downs because many of the foster homes where they are placed are with relatives who don't have a lot of money. And when they lived with their parents - they often lived in deep poverty. We want to take our Teen Night Out kids to the mall and let them shop and we want enough money for each kid so that they can buy WHATEVER they want - new Vans or a cool baseball cap, a cute outfit, or simply new jeans. We are hoping they won't spend the money on basic necessities!  Whatever funds we raise will be divided equally among the kids. So please give 10, 15, or 20 dollars and ask YOUR kids if they are willing to donate some of their back to school budget.