April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. TODAY (4/1/15) is the kick off date of our annual Pack A Backpack™ Drive to collect and distribute backpacks (luggage and duffel bags) for teen males in foster homes, group homes, and homeless shelters.
An overwhelming number of children and youth enter the foster care system due to child abuse and/or neglect. There are nearly 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system in the United States. Youth in foster care often have few personal belongings and many carry the items they own have in trash bags when they move. Every year, approximately 30,000 young people age out of the foster care system without lifelong families and strong support systems – most at age 18.
Our National Foster Care Month Pack A Backpack™ Drive provides an opportunity raise awareness of the experiences and needs of teens in the system and also encourages the community to find other ways to get involved. Our 4th Annual Pack A Backpack™ Drive begins April 1, 2015 and ends May 9, 2015. During the drive we are collecting backpacks (luggage and duffel bags) filled with personal hygiene items for teen males in foster homes, group homes, and homeless shelters.
Only new and gently used backpacks will be accepted.
New personal hygiene items needed include:
toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, hand sanitizer, deodorant, soap, lotion, powder, shampoo, conditioner, and shaving items
Check out the blogs below to learn more about child abuse, neglect, and aging out of foster care.
You Can Help Prevent Child Abuse
What Does Child Abuse and Neglect Look Like?
Who Taught You About the Real Word?
Support System for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
Nicki Sanders is an experienced trainer, group facilitator, and program manager. She has packaged her Masters of Social Work degree and over 15 years of work experience into Packaged For Success, a training and professional development company. Packaged For Success provides career coaching to college students, entry-level job hunters, and experienced employees seeking a promotion. Packaged For Success also offers communication and productivity improvement training for employees and supervisors and provides consultation on building sustainable, impactful, socially responsible community programs.
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