Foster care program seeks to provide fleece blankets

Life can be difficult on foster children moving from home to home.

But something as simple as a fleece blanket can make all the difference.

The Volunteer Center at Central Michigan University and Isabella County Foster Care want to provide fleece blankets for every child in the foster care system.

That includes more than 200 children.

Selene Wadhawan, a representative with the Isabella County Department of Human Services, said the organization is aiming for 300 blankets.

“When we’re removing children from homes, they often don’t have very many things to make them feel warm and comfy,” Wadhawan said.

Enough donations have been made to produce about 73 blankets so far, said Dana Gingrich, MCC AmeriCorps VISTA of the Volunteer Center.

“A fleece blanket is something they can keep with them throughout their duration in foster care, and even when they leave the system,” Wadhawan said.

How to donate

Students can donate money or fleece material to the Volunteer Center in the lower level of the Bovee University Center or at the Isabella County Department of Human Services office, 1919 Parkland Dr.

The blankets are two-by-two yards in size and are fairly inexpensive to make.

Each one donated through the Volunteer Center includes a CMU ribbon tied to it as a reminder for the children to consider a college education.

Wadhawan said the initiative to obtain fleece blankets is lead by a youth board called Helping Others Prepare for Everything.

The board consists of young adults in the foster care system.

“(The youth) are working hard to get this done,” Wadhawan said. “The children in the foster care system have had some experiences in life that many of us can’t imagine.”

Gingrich said the Volunteer Center has been pleased with involvement campus-wide so far.

“We’ve had a variety of different (registered student organizations) volunteer to donate money and time and actually make fleece blankets for us,” Gingrich said.

Macomb senior Scott Hillman volunteered to make some blankets and said the effort is worthwhile.

“It’s a project that doesn’t require a lot of time,” Hillman said. “It impacts the local community.”

Other items, such as bags, teddy bears and clothing, also are accepted.