North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club Doubles Blanket Donations for Area Children In Foster Care System

The North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H club presenting thier blankets to Cuyahgoa County Child Services Representive Lydia Galindez.

North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club doubled their blanket donations to children in the Cuyahoga County foster care system in their second annual create-a-blanket donation project. The North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club, with guidance from My Very Own Blanket (www.mvob.org), created and donated over 30 hand-made blankets to the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS), who distributed the blankets to children currently living in foster care arrangements. The 4-H members were recognized by DCFS  at a recent meeting for their hard work, dedication, and unselfish giving of their time to help those in need. Last year the group received a proclamation from County Executive Edward FitzGerald (July 17, 2013) for their outstanding community service.   

The blankets were made from recycled materials, including jeans and shirts, or new materials, like fleece. Partial funding to purchase new fabric for the project was provided by a grant; 4-H club member Renee Lucas wrote a grant application to the Ohio 4-H Development Fund in spring 2014, and received funds to cover the costs of making half the blankets. The remaining blankets were made using money from the 4-H Homesteaders car wash, and other club fundraisers.

Over the past several months, the North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club was busy sewing, crocheting, and tying blankets. In most cases, children who are in foster care situations own very little — sometimes nothing — when they’re placed into an unfamiliar home. By providing the children with a blanket, the North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club ensured that some of these children always have something of their own, no matter where they go. Just one single blanket is very important to children in foster care because they rarely own something of their own.

The North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H Club advisors discovered My Very Own Blanket at a recent 4-H Conference, and knew it would be a great opportunity for their club to give back to the community. The North Royalton Homesteaders 4-H club is dedicated and excited to supply more blankets to Cuyahoga County’s Children and Family Services in the future.

My Very Own Blanket is an organization of volunteers dedicated to helping children in foster care feel valued and comforted. They connect diverse people, community groups, businesses and services as they make and deliver personalized blankets and other personal items to children in foster care. My Very Own Blanket connected the 4-H group to the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services.

Renee Lucas

Currently a high school student (will be graduating in 2016) and have an interest in writing. I am also co- editor of Normandy High School Newspaper and Yearbook.

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Volume 6, Issue 9, Posted 4:25 PM, 09.01.2014