A birthday is the perfect opportunity to let someone know you are thinking of them.
During JetBlue’s “Sweet Cases” for Foster Love fundraising initiative, crewmembers filled hand-painted duffel bags with care items and assembled birthday boxes for children in Child and Family Services (C+FS) Foster Care Program. The duffel bags include a stuffed animal, hygiene kits, coloring/activity books and other necessities to help with a child’s transition between foster homes. The bags themselves also are valuable to children in foster care, as they need something to carry their possessions as they travel.
“Providing Child and Family Services with ‘Sweet Cases’ warms the hearts of our JetBlue crewmembers,” said Ellen Kaiser, JetBlue Buffalo. “We always look forward to this project every year and enjoy working together to decorate them and bring happiness to the children in foster care.”
Recently, Noah Vallas, Senior Case Planner, was able to give a child one of the birthday boxes on her 18th birthday. She had not expected to receive a birthday gift from the Agency and gave Noah a high five for thinking of her. She laughed as she saw some of the items in the bag that some might have seen as “too young” for her, such as the teddy bear, but insisted that she was going to treasure it forever. Her foster parents were also grateful for the gesture and thanked the Agency for being so thoughtful.
“Our goal is to always ensure the children in foster care feel just like any other child,” emphasized Nicole. “The birthday boxes are a little reminder to the children we serve that they matter, and we remember the little details about them. They feel valued and special that someone, especially from a big corporation like JetBlue, spent the time to decorate the birthday boxes and provide party supplies to enhance their day.”
Thank you to the JetBlue crewmembers for brightening the lives of the children in our Foster Care Program!