Rochester Hills, Mich – Jan 18, 2011 – Camille Bridges (Miss Teen Spirit of the State, 2010), her mother Carolyn Bridges, grandmother, Vivian Banks and friend Frazier Thompson sewed 224 towel and wash cloth sets to help ARC of Hope, an organization dedicated to helping foster care children.
Camille Bridges stated, “I’m very interested in helping children in foster care. I had a great time making the towels and wash cloths with my mom, grandmother, and friend Frazier. We all felt great about helping make a difference by giving something back to the foster care children in our state.”
Sewing the towels was an important part of the Suitcase Brigade, a program of ARC of Hope. Michigan has more than 15,000 children living in foster care. Many of these children are placed in foster care directly from school or from chaotic home situations. Often, these children have only the clothes they are wearing and possibly a few other items, which most carry around in garbage or grocery bags. The towel and wash cloth sets will be given to children who have already received suitcases with toothbrushes and other toiletries, blankets, flashlights, and other items from the Suitcase Brigade.
The Suitcase Brigade began in 2010 when ARC of Hope sold more than 1000 tickets to the Pistons vs. Wizards game on March 12th. The Pistons organization made discounted tickets available so the proceeds could be used to fund the first Suitcase Brigade. The Suitcase Brigade distributed 323 suitcases with items to ARC of Hope’s 11 southeast Michigan foster care agency partners, including Bethany Christian Services, Childhelp, Catholic Social Services of Wayne County, Judson Center, Lutheran Social Services, Orchards Children’s Services, Inc. , Evergreen, Lutheran Child & Family Services, Spaulding for Children, and Vista Maria. Camille Bridges provided the PSA for the event.
If you are interested in contributing toward future Suitcase Brigade events, contact Julie Cadman, ARC of Hope at 248-370-8040 or Julie@theARCofHope.org .
ARC of Hope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping foster care children find loving, stable homes. In 2009, ARC of Hope, in collaboration with more than 20 foster care agencies and churches, produced a 14-minute DVD, “They Matter More Than Anything” to help recruit more foster care families from Michigan places of worship. Interested places of worship can view the video can at .http://www.Vimeo.com/CadmanFoundation. ARC of Hope is also working to help foster care and adoptive families find pre- and post-placement/recruitment resources. You can learn more about ARC of Hope at www.theARCofHope.org