Producer of Foster Boy Hosts National Foster Care Month Campaign

Garbage bags are supposed to be for garbage, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for the 437,000+ children in America’s foster care system.

When children enter the foster care system – and often get shuffled from home to home –

they are typically given a plastic trash bag to transport their belongings. What kind of a message is this sending them? That the few precious possessions they have are nothing but garbage?

Chicago attorney, Jay Paul Deratany, is determined to change this and has partnered with three local organizations, including Fill a Heart 4 Kids, to help fulfill his mission.

With May being National Foster Care Month, the screenwriter and producer of the award-winning film, Foster Boy (co-produced with basketball legend, Shaquille O’Neal), has launched a campaign to help Fill a Heart 4 Kids provide luggage, duffel bags, backpacks, baby clothes, diapers, and toys and games to local children entering the foster care system.

“Foster care children are everyone’s children,” said Deratany, who has fought tirelessly for the rights of kids in foster care. “They need to feel loved, appreciated, and valued,” he added. “A simple gesture like providing a suitcase or a duffel bag that they can call their own may help show them that their personal items deserve the same respect and care as they do. They deserve to carry their belongings with dignity and self-confidence, not in a trash bag.”

One adult, formerly shuffled back and forth between 14 foster homes as a child, said this, “When my things were packed in trash bags, it sent a very clear message that my things were not valuable, and I figured, if my things were not valuable, then neither was I.”

Based on their immediate needs and the ages of the foster care children they serve, Deratany and his team have created Amazon Wish Lists for each of the three recipient organizations.

“We are so grateful to Jay for including Fill a Heart 4 Kids in this campaign to provide vulnerable children with comforting items during a very frightening time in their lives,” said Annie McAveeney, founder of Fill a Heart 4 Kids. “Our goal is to collect enough supplies from generous supporters to provide luggage, clothing, activities and other items for each child entering the foster care system in Cook and Lake Counties this year.”

Based in Lake Forest, Fill a Heart 4 Kids (FAH4K) is a 501(c)(3) organization that helps unaccompanied homeless youth and foster children living in group facilities in Lake and Cook Counties with educational support, necessities and positive experiences to help them heal and restore their dignity – 4 Brighter Futures! To learn about ways to support their mission, visit www.fillaheart4kids.org Stay connected to Fill a Heart 4 Kids on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @FillAHeart4Kids.