Local groups team up for Foster Care Awareness Month

For Foster Care Awareness month, the office staff and families of ABC Pediatrics spent hours last Saturday sorting and organizing donations for Georgie’s Closet to help the Kankakee-based not-for-profit prepare for its move into a new space in Bradley.

Georgie’s Closet was founded by Kankakee foster mom Rachel Langlois and then joined by two other foster moms, Mallory Handford, president, and Allie Brooks, chief operating officer, both of Bourbonnais. Ashley Sommers also serves on the board as treasurer.

“We are the first responders in the foster system,” said Brooks, who has fostered four children. “We want people focused on placements. We don’t want them focused on the necessity of dealing with beds, clothing, shoes, body care [products], diapers, car seats and whatever else.”

The foster parents started a Facebook page, Georgie’s Closet, to put out calls for items that people were willing to donate. Georgie’s has been accepting donations since September and now has a website, www.georgiesclosetk3.com.

“We are incredibly proud to collaborate with such a meaningful organization and support their mission to bring dignity and comfort to kids in care,” according to an ABC Pediatrics Facebook post. “Georgie’s Closet is doing incredible work, and we’re honored to be a part of it.”

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month – a time to recognize the 391,000+ children in the U.S. foster care system and the families who open their hearts and homes to care for them, according to the post, along with the following facts.

Foster Care Facts:

• A child enters foster care every 2 minutes in the U.S.

• The average age of a child in foster care is just 8 years old.

• More than 60% of children in foster care stay in the system for over 2 years.

• Support from the community makes a lasting difference in outcomes for these kids.

For information on how to help locally through Georgie’s Closet, visit georgiesclosetk3.com/how-to-help.