Each year, 200 – 300 youth age out of the foster care system in the Greater Houston area. Many lack jobs or housing when they leave and depend on assistance and skills training from nonprofit organizations such as Angel Reach and Operation Achieve Independence. Those nonprofits, in turn, depend on donations.
Trinity received a request to help Montgomery County’s Operation Achieve Independence (OAI)supply hygiene kits. Could it be done, given everything else we do?
Outreach Committee member Bev Redd was the first to take on the project; she invited the Daughters of the King to participate. Bev, Kelly St. Mary, and Liz Linger ensured Trinity members knew about the drive. We are grateful to all the Trinity members and our scout families who donated the items for the kits,
Another Outreach Committee member, Myra Rutigliano led Trinity’s Purls & Prayers group’s involvement. They donated many hygiene items, made washcloths, and taught Trinity Scout’s BSA Girls Troop 1777 members to crochet!
The project was enthusiastically embraced by Trinity’s Girls BSA Troop 1777, Key adult leaders. Committee Chair Dawn Kotalik, Scoutmaster Rae Guarino, and Committee Member Della Saunders shared the project idea with the girls and coached them. However, the key to their success came from Life Scout Reagan Campbell, who took on the challenge of making this effort her Eagle Scout project.
Trinity’s Scout troops actively support many causes in the community. The Trinity Brothers of St. Andrew generously support our Scouts with generous donations necessitated by the unit’s significant growth over the past two years.
The successful collaboration of many groups and the inspiration and efforts of several individuals resulted in many crates of hygiene kits. The Scouts from Boys Troup 777 helped to load them when OAI came to pick them up. The large donation visibly moved Debbie Page, who came to pick up the kits. Foster care workers know the youth need community help as they venture into the world and become independent.
That wasn’t the end of the story; There’s more!
The generous donations of parishioners, Scout families, and community members resulted in 50lbs (fifty) of extra hygiene products that didn’t fit into the hygiene bags.
Reagan chose to contribute the extras to Family Promise, an organization that helps homeless families with children regain their independence and housing.
You can find more about the community organizations at their websites below.
https://www.oaicares.org/copy-of-our-program (volunteer needs)
https://www.oaicares.org (general information)
