Children’s Foundation of America Provides 200 Foster Youth with Art Therapy Kits
For children affected by trauma, art can be therapeutic and even life-changing. Art therapy calms the mind, releases mental tension, raises awareness of mental states and creates a sense of safety.
Over 400,000 children each year are placed into foster care and the needs of these children are greater than public funding are able to provide. The Children’s Foundation of America identifies and accesses resources to support these children, so they may lead healthy, productive lives.
Foster children taken from their families because of abuse, neglect or abandonment, express their confusion, fears and sorrow with crayons and colored pencils. Teens in residential therapeutic programs express their hurt, anger and frustrations on sketch pads. By acknowledging their feelings through art, youth can begin to learn, heal and thrive.
Together, with the support of our board, business partners, donors and volunteers, we can help paint a new picture of their future. After the overwhelming support, foster youth in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties were given brand-new art supplies of their very own to empower them with creative expression.
Our board members rallied their family and friends to donate art supplies and generously supplied us with adorable sea life drawstring bags to distribute the art supplies. The Foundation collected approximately $500 worth of art supplies with the help of business partners like NRI Distribution.
11 CFA volunteers and interns helped to assemble the art care packages at our warehouse, packing kits with supplies such as sketch pads, coloring books, markers, paints and candy. One volunteer said their favorite part of the experience was, “the thought of the children in foster care receiving these art supplies.”
“Such a great cause,” said Trisch Deehring of Middle Tree Academy. Generous individuals of the art community donated nearly $600 to the cause realizing the important healing and therapeutic impact of art. “Happy to support,” said Beatrice Casagran of Ophelia’s Jump Productions.
In all, the Children’s Foundation of America distributed 200 art kits to foster youth at Trinity Youth Services and McKinley Children’s Center.
If you are moved to support foster youth in their creative ambitions and their therapeutic process, please donate today.
Jenelle Phillips, Development Specialist
Jenelle oversees the day-to-day operations and staffing of the Foundation, which includes fundraising events, volunteer coordination, community outreach and donations. Above all, Jenelle’s focus is to identify and access resources in order to help children heal, learn and thrive. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from California State University Fullerton and has become very involved in the community. She is active in her church, owns an art gallery, organizes the local art walk and is on the executive board of the downtown district’s marketing group.