Lifelong scout Jack Stevens of BSA Troop 57 has tailored his Eagle Scout project to align with May being National Foster Child Awareness Month, a cause close to his own heart.
“I’ve had lots of family members and cousins who are foster moms or kids, and they really inspired this whole project to make birthday bags for children in foster care,” said Stevens.
Blanket and birthday bag making event
Family members and fellow scouts from Troop 57 recently gathered at the Grace Community Church in Aurora to make blankets and birthday bags for the Illinois Foster Closet, a nonprofit in Streamwood that provides necessities for foster children to use in their homes. The bags were filled with toys and clothes donated by Stevens and his family.
“I thought it was great, it was a great organization and a great cause that’s close to our family,” said Troop 57 Scoutmaster and Jack’s father Joe Stevens. “It’s very interesting working and taking direction from your son, but he’s growing up right in front of us and turning into a great young man and leader.”
The group sewed together blankets and constructed five donation bins which were taken to churches around the area, where they hoped to gather more for the cause.
Drop-off at Illinois Foster Closet, providing necessities to foster kids
The drop-off for Jack’s project took place the weekend of May 18, with many foster kids expected to benefit from the donations. He’s provide a total of 40 blankets, 83 birthday bags, and an additional 25 bins full of pajamas, socks, shoes, and toys to the cause.
“It’s always so mind-blowing,” said Illinois Foster Closet Founder Maribell Negron. “It is such an amazing feeling when you have our young generation that wants to get involved and participate and help make a difference for all of our kids in foster care.”
A little can mean a lot
Jack hopes his Eagle project will inspire others to reflect on how what may seem commonplace to them can mean the world to someone else.
“I hope that they can get a little bit of insight that some of the things they take for granted, like having a pair of socks or different kinds of shoes or clothes to wear that doesn’t always happen for everyone, and right now I’m just trying to give a little bit of happiness to kids around the world,” said Stevens.
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