Supporting Foster Kids with Kindness
My name is Elan Chandler and I'm in 8th grade. Please read more to learn about my mission to support children in foster care.
My Mission
I am Elan Chandler, a middle school student in Sonoma, CA. My eighth-grade service project is partnering up with Redwood Empire Foster Parent Association and their Blue Bag cause. Through this partnership, I will get teddy bears to donate, which will then be put into duffel bags for children entering foster care. I will additionally organize a group of students to create kind and supportive cards that will also be included in the duffel bags. This photo is of me 1 month before the 2017 Napa wildfires forced us to evacuate our home with the stuffed animals that I brought with me through the journey. The comfort they brought me in a challenging time was incredible.
Why am I Doing This?
I chose this project for supporting children in foster care because, while my experience was different, I know what it’s like to lose a sense of home. When I was five, my family was displaced from our home during the 2017 Wine Country fires. The only thing I took with me was my stuffed animal, Cheese, who comforted me through everything.
Our home was unlivable for two years. During that time, we moved often, staying with my cousins, living in a hotel, and in a temporary rental until we could finally return home two years later. Even now, I still sleep with Cheese and my other stuffed animals that helped me feel safe. This is why I am so passionate about helping foster children feel that same kind of comfort. I want something good to come from what I went through, and I hope these kids can feel the same sense of security from a teddy bear that I felt from Cheese.
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Help Our Cause
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and fund our mission.