'Life Kits' help youth aging out of foster care
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The Center for Child Protection began its annual effort called “Project Graduation” Monday, which aims to help teens aging out of the foster care system.
Family advocate Amanda Kerley said household items like towels, sheets and a coffee maker may be easy to overlook, but they are crucial for someone who is just starting out on their own.
"Here in the children's closet at the Center for Child Protection, I think that you know if you look around these are many things that many of us have,” she said. “We have diapers for our children. We have books. We have toys."
The group puts together ‘life kits,’ which are full of basic household items so that teens don’t start their new life empty-handed.
The kits include pots, pans and a laundry basket, among other items.
"These kids are dealing with a lot of issues whether it be abuse or neglect,” Kristina Thompson with the Center for Child Protection said. “They've already been through a lot, and so these items just make it so much easier for them to make the transition."
Thompson expects to hand out more than 80 life kits to area teenagers.
Click here for more information on how to donate.