Mia Myers recently reached out to CHS with the goal of benefiting children in foster care with new books for her senior project. Mia wanted to share her love of books and hoped that other children will have the same opportunity to experience the joys of reading. “Books have always been a source of safety, escape, and enjoyment,” she stated. Mia’s youngest sister was in foster care and subsequently adopted by her family. The books will be used by social workers when they are meeting with a child for the first time, given as part of a welcome kit for a child entering foster care or to any child who would benefit from having a book of their own.
To collect the books, Mia ran a book drive for the month of October with drop boxes located at her school, church, house, and local preschools. She presented to her church congregation her overall project focusing on her family’s connection and the impact on children in foster care. She also contacted her school’s newspaper resulting in a piece about the book drive that went out to parents, teachers, and students.
Mia spent the month collecting books and monetary donations which were used to purchase more books. The result was 545 books for children in foster care, more than doubling her original goal of 150! Mia took the time to organize the books into age and reading levels: toddler/board books, picture books, early reader books, early reader chapter books, and advanced reader books (4th-6th grade). This is a huge help to our social workers allowing them to easily select the right book for the right child.
On behalf of the children and families we serve, we thank Mia for her commitment to building strong families.
