Edmond Memorial High School’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) is joining the other Edmond high schools in a donation drive for the Citizens Caring for Children organization.

This charity provides for those in foster care who move from home to home. These kids don’t have many belongings to call their own, most don’t even have items as simple as socks, and the organization hopes to provide for these children by collecting a wide range of items, from jackets to toiletry items. 

Along with giving the children their own possessions, it also allows the foster parents to provide for them without breaking the bank.

“We love the fact that this organization supports foster families offering their homes as well as helping kids that are transitioning to a new family,” FCCLA sponsor Jana Jolly said.

The donation drive is giving FCCLA students the opportunity to work closely with a deserving cause and devote time to the club they are passionate about.

“The foster system is a difficult place to grow up in, so anything that we can give them helps,” FCCLA District Officer Alexandra Valentine said. “They provide so many important items for these kids from books to hygiene kits to clothes.”

The charity hosts many events throughout the year, such as Joy4Kids and Back2School. Joy4Kids provides Christmas gifts for those in foster care, as many go unnoticed throughout the holiday season. During the Back2School event, the children can pick out a back to school outfit and school supplies for the new school year. 

Events like these can be essential for children in foster care, making sure they are given a small chance at normalcy in their unstable lives. Drives such as the one being held at Memorial are an important part of supplying these events.

“In order to help an organization, you really have to understand their cause,” FCCLA Chapter Officer Danica Tripplet said. “I’ve heard so much about Citizens Caring for Children, and it has really shown me the basic necessities that foster children don’t receive. It has brought me more of an understanding for the situations of others and makes me more grateful for the small things in my life that I don’t think about on a regular basis.”

Another thing that Citizens Caring for Children does is offers the chance for people to sponsor a child in foster care, they can do this through signing up to donate money, as well as clothes and items specific for a certain child. This is another way for the organization to obtain supplies and help these children through their adolescence in the foster care system. 

“My favorite part of working with any organization is being able to help in our community,” Triplett said. “Citizens Caring for Children is a great cause, and I am so excited to help out with it and be able to make an impact on foster kids lives through this drive.”

This donation drive will be continuing until Oct. 26 when the FCCLA students will take all items collected to the Citizens Caring for Children facility and help them organize all of the donations. You can take any items that you wish to donate to Jolly’s room, 225.

Contact Makinzy Todd at [email protected]