Starter Kits for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
Posted October 26, 2011 3:51 pm
Sunflower CASA was recently awarded a $4,000 grant from the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation to purchase items for starter kits to distribute to youth aging out of foster care in the Manhattan area. In 2010, 83 youth turned 18 and aged out of the foster care system in the northeast region of Kansas. The majority of these youth left foster care with no support system in place. They did not have parents to help them cover the costs of items for their first apartment while they were busy applying for jobs and furthering their education. The starter kit project will help youth make a smooth transition from foster care to independent living by providing them with items (kitchen essentials, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and basic furniture) to establish a comfortable living environment for themselves. Sunflower CASA will work with the SRS Independent Living Program to identify youth in need of starter kits and distribute kits to those youth.
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Click for Babies
Posted October 26, 2011 3:01 pm
 Sunflower CASA is working with Kansas Children's Service League to implement a project called "Click for Babies" in Manhattan. Click for Babies is a grassroots initiative to collaborate with knitters and crocheters to make PURPLE caps for babies. The goal of the project is for the PURPLE caps to remind parents of The Period of PURPLE Crying, a shaken baby syndrome prevention program developed by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome. Kansas Children's Service League hopes to provide a PURPLE hat to every baby born in Kansas hospitals as a reminder that babies are fragile and should never be shaken. Sunflower CASA has collected approximately 200 caps from Manhattan Community members so far! Thanks to Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear for raising awareness of the project and collecting caps at their shop!
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