40 foster teens remembered
HARRISVILLE — Volunteers gathered in a garage Saturday to wrap gifts for 40 teenagers in foster care throughout the region.
On Tuesday, the fruits of their labor arrived at Children's Aid Society of Mercer County in Mercer. It took seven vehicles to deliver all of the gifts.
For the third year running, a small Harrisville group known as Operation Foster Smiles has given gifts to foster children in the region's adoption exchange program.
The Children's Aid Society has gathered gifts for foster kids for about 10 years, but it was coming up short on funds and gifts three years ago. At that point, Michelle and Don Marlowe, two foster parents, stepped up to help.
Today, they continue to expand the program.
“We have grown,” Michelle Marlowe said. “When we first started, we had 32 members. We now have nearly 200. We are getting donations from about seven states.”
The team gathers gifts as well as funds to buy more gifts. The Marlowes assemble a team to wrap and sort everything, then it's all delivered to Children's Aid.
The foster agency then hosts Christmas parties for the region's foster children and delights them with the presents.
Children's Aid serves about 1,000 foster children, according to Heather Alt, the group's Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network coordinator.
Although the organization is based in Mercer County, it serves as the regional hub for statewide adoption programs. Foster children between Erie and Pittsburgh, including Butler County children, are helped by its team.
The Marlowes' team this year packed a slew of gifts for 40 teenagers. Alt said the staff cries at every party.“I've had several teenagers say, 'This is the first time I've ever had a Christmas present,' or 'This is the first time I've unwrapped a gift,'” Alt said.The teenagers, she said, have been removed from their families due to abuse or neglect.“Most of the kids are in group homes,” she said. “Quite a few of them do not have connections to family or they're unable to do holiday visits with their family. A few are in foster care.”The teenagers are put in group homes if foster homes can't be found for them.“We just don't have enough foster homes that want teenagers,” Alt said.Operation Foster Smiles has one special, larger gift for its children each year. This year's gift is a CD radio boom-box.“The kids are extremely humbled,” Michelle said. “You've never seen anything quite like a 17-year-old boy in tears when he receives stuff from strangers.”The best gifts aren't always toys. Both Michelle Marlowe and Alt said pillows were a favorite in past years.Alt said they also try to provide hygiene supplies, as the recipients aren't always able to get them for themselves.“These kids don't even have the basics,” Alt said.This year's Christmas party is scheduled Dec. 13. After that, Operation Foster Smiles will begin focusing on getting gifts for next year.Michelle Marlowe thinks they can handle it.“The word is spreading,” she said. “It's getting very popular.”
<br />
