CARE PACKAGE CENTRAL CHARITY FILLS BAGS FOR FOSTER KIDS.Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer CALIFORNIA CITY - A California City foster mother is helping foster youngsters feel a little less scared and alone. LaJuana Moser's Bags 4 Kids project fills diaper bags, duffel bags and backpacks with age-appropriate toys and gifts, plus photo albums and what Moser calls life books, in which children can record places they have lived. ``I started it because I wanted to give them something that might comfort them a little,'' said Moser, who herself was adopted at the age of 3 and has no photos or memories from her early years. ``I try to spend three hours a day working on this. It's a lot of work but it's so much fun.'' In the past 20 years, Moser has sheltered 128 foster children, including a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old who live with her now. She is a mother of five, including two adopted children. With no photos of her real mother or siblings siblings npl (formal) → frères et sœurs mpl (de mêmes parents) , Moser felt a void in her life that she has tried to fill for her foster children with the life books, titled ``When I'm Famous.'' The books have room for photos and places to record where the children have stayed. ``When I started getting foster babies I bought photo albums for them,'' said Moser. ``The whole point is sometimes they get taken away, they don't have anything. So they go sit in a police station. Sometimes they sit in that station for three hours with nothing to do. The whole idea is to give them something to do to comfort them.'' Since her first delivery of 11 bags in June 2002, Moser has given out more than 700 and has received recognition from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich's office. She has delivered the bags to foster parent agencies, police and sheriff's stations and social service offices in Bakersfield, Palmdale, Boron boron (bōr`ŏn) [New Gr. from borax], chemical element; symbol B; at. no. 5; at. wt. 10.81; m.p. about 2,300°C;; sublimation point about 2,550°C;; sp. gr. 2.3 at 25°C;; valence +3. , Tehachapi, Ridgecrest, Mojave, Rosamond, California Rosamond is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kern County, California, USA, 20 miles North of Palmdale, in the Antelope Valley, the westernmost desert valley of the Mojave Desert. According to 2000 United States census data, the town population was 14,349. City and Lancaster. Her goal is to give out 1,000 bags by Dec. 31. ``Social workers tell me all kinds of stories that make me happy - foster kids are crying in their office, they give them a bag and they stop crying,'' Moser said. Moser accepts donations of bags, supplies to fill them and monetary donations. Items she accepts include duffel bags, tote bags, diaper bags, backpacks, large disposable diapers, pacifiers, sipper cups, bottles, hairbrushes and combs, baby toys, small or medium stuffed animals
A stuffed animal is toy animal stuffed with straw, beans, cotton or other similar materials. Some stuffed animals are very old – home made cloth dolls stuffed with straw go back to at least the , photo albums, scrapbooks, cosmetic bags, perfume samples, lip gloss, makeup applicators, shampoo shampoo a cleaning agent, usually liquid, for hair; usually consists of a detergent and perfume. Some, usually referred to as medicated shampoos, contain therapeutic substances such as parasiticides, antimicrobials, ketatolytic agents, and antiseborrheic compounds such as selenium , deodorant deodorant /de·odor·ant/ (de-o´der-int) 1. masking offensive odors. 2. an agent that so acts. de·o·dor·ant n. , diaries, playing cards playing cards, parts of a set or deck, used in playing various games of chance or skill. The origin of playing cards is unknown, and almost as many theories exist as there are historians of the subject. , small address books, reading books, coloring books, maze and puzzle books, crayons, toothbrushes, stationery, stamps, small hand-held radios, AA batteries and disposable cameras. Bags 4 Kids is a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. and donations to it are tax deductible. For more information on the program, contact Moser at (760) 373-7632 or visit www.bags4kids.net. Donations can be dropped off at Children's Bureau The Children's Bureau may refer to:
Monetary donations can be sent to P.O. Box 2234, California City, Calif. 93504-2234. Peggy Hager, (661) 267-5741 peggy.grimm-hager(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) LaJuana Moser, above, fills bags with items such as those shown below in an effort to comfort foster kids. (3) LaJuana Moser, second from left, works on the Bags 4 Kids care packages with younger members of her family. |
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