HIGHLIGHTING THE GREAT WORK DONE BY THE UNITED WAY AND THEIR PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TODAY. WE ARE PUTTING THE SPOTLIGHT ON CITIZENS CARING FOR CHILDREN A GROUP THAT SERVES CHILDREN LIVING IN FOSTER CARE JOINING ME NOW IS ABBY WURZ DIRECTOR OF A DEVELOPMENT AND INDICATIONS FOR CITIZENS CARING FOR CHILDREN ABBY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. OF COURSE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SO TELL US MORE ABOUT THE MISSION OF YOUR ORGANIZATION AND WHAT YOU GUYS DO ABSOLUTELY CITIZENS CARING FOR CHILDREN PROVIDES CRITICAL RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN IN OKLAHOMA THAT ARE LIVING IN FOSTER CARE. WE PROVIDE CLOTHING HYGIENE ITEMS BOOKS THOSE TYPES OF THINGS THAT SEEM LIKE BASIC NECESSITIES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY MANY CHILDREN IN CARE DO NOT HAVE THESE ITEMS. OKAY STUFF THAT WE ALL TAKE FOR GRANTED. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. TELL US MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMS THAT YOU OFFER OVER YOUR ORGANIZATION AS WELL. YES, OUR MAIN PROGRAM IS OUR RESOURCE CENTER WHERE WE ARE SERVING 270 CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE EACH MONTH WITH RESOURCE CENTER APPOINTMENTS WHERE THEY GET TO COME SHOP PICK OUT ALL OF THEIR ITEMS BRAND NEW RESOURCES THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO TAKE HOME TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THEIR BASIC NEEDS MET AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A BACK-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM IN AUGUST WHERE WE PROVIDE MORE THAN 600 CHILDREN IN CARE WITH SCHOOL SUPPLIES A BACKPACK AND A FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL OUTFIT AND THEN WE FEEL CHRISTMAS WISH LIST THROUGH OUR JOY FOR KIDS. PROGRAM IN DECEMBER. OH, MAN SO MANY THINGS FOR THOSE KIDS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND I’M SURE THEY APPRECIATE THOSE PROGRAMS SO MUCH. YES. HAVE THESE THESE PROGRAMS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. I IMAGINE THAT THERE’S NOT MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE THAT THERE ARE NOT AND IT’S A CRITICAL NEED WHEN A CHILD ENTERS INTO FOSTER CARE. UNFORTUNATELY MANY INTER-INDICARE WITH THE CLOTHING ON THEIR BACK. THEY DON’T GET TO TAKE ANY RESOURCES WITH THEM AND OUR FAMILIES OUR FOSTER FAMILIES HERE IN OKLAHOMA. TO MEET THAT NEED THEY HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR THESE CHILDREN REBUILDING AN ENTIRE CHILD’S WARDROBE WHICH IS WHY OUR ORGAN PATIENT EXISTS TO BRIDGE THAT GAP AND WE WE PROVIDE NEW RESOURCES BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CHILDREN ARE RECEIVING ITEMS THAT ARE COMPLETELY THEIR OWN THAT MAKE THEM FEEL NORMAL AND HAVE A SENSE OF THEIR IDENTITY BACK AND WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM THESE KIDS YOU HAVE ANY ANECDOTES OR STORIES? I’M SURE THEY’RE ARE PLENTY OF STORIES OUT THERE. JUST HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO THEM. IT MEANS A LOT OUR KIDS AND HAVE THE HELPED KIDS WHO TRY ON EVERY PIECE OF CLOTHING IN THEIR SIZE BECAUSE THEY’VE NEVER BEEN TO A STORE BEFORE THEY’VE NEVER TRIED ON CLOTHES BEFORE WE’VE HELPED KIDS THAT HAVE RECEIVED BOOKS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO READ BEFORE WE’RE ABLE TO MEET THAT NEED AND GIVE THESE CHILDREN SOMETHING THAT FOSTER CARE IS A HARD THING TO GO THROUGH AND WE’RE ABLE TO GIVE THEM A GLIMPSE OF HOPE AND SOMETHING THAT THEY CAN LOOK AT AND SAY SOMEBODY CARED ABOUT ME. SOMEBODY VALUED ME AND WANTED TO KNOW THAT MY NEEDS WERE MET. LOVE TO HEAR THAT. SO AS I MENTIONED AT THE TOP HERE, YOU’RE A PARTNER AGENCY OF THE UNITED WAY. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT ENTAIL? BEING A PARTNER AGENCY OF THE UNITED WAY IS INCREDIBLE FOR OUR ORGANIZATION. WE’VE BEEN A PARTNER AGENCY SINCE 1999 AND WITHOUT UNITED WAY FUNDING WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO WE DO WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SERVE OKLAHOMA KIDS IN CARE, BUT I ALWAYS SAY IT’S MORE THAN FUNDING. IT’S SO MUCH MORE THE UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA IS A SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR OUR ORGANIZATION. WE RECEIVE FUNDING WE RECEIVE SUPPORT RESOURCES AND VOLUNTEERS. WE’RE AN ORGANIZATION THAT RELIES HEAVILY ON VOLUNTEERS AND SO MANY OF OUR VOLUNTEER GROUPS COME FROM THE UNITED WAY AGENCY, WE WOULD NOT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SERVE OUR FOSTER KIDS THROUGH OUR PROGRAMS IF WE DID NOT HAVE THEIR SUPPORT. YEAH, THAT’S SUPPORT MEANS EVERYTHING. NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT. ABSOLUTELY. SO YOU MENTIONED VOLUNTEERS THERE. HOW DO PEOPLE GET INVOLVED IF THEY WANT TO HELP FURTHER YOUR MISSION VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES. WHAT ELSE CAN PEOPLE DO WE HAVE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES ON OUR WEBSITE AND WE ACCEPT INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS OR GROUP VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE HELPING US PROCESS DONATIONS AND GET EVERYTHING READY FOR THE KIDS THAT WE SERVE AND WE ALSO ACCEPT DONATIONS EVERY ITEM THAT WE GIVE TO OUR CHILDREN IN CARE OUR DONATED SO WE ARE ABLE TO WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS AND COMPANIES AND GROUPS THAT WANT TO HOST TO DRIVE AND COLLECT BOOKS FOR KIDS AND CARE OR ARE DUFFEL BAGS OR SHOES? THOSE ARE TWO BIGGEST NEEDS FOR KIDS IN CARE. AND SO THOSE ARE THE TWO BIGGEST WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR ORGANIZATION OUR VOLUNTEERING AND WITH DONATIONS BEFORE I LET YOU GO HERE ANY EVENTS COMING UP THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE? KNOW ABOUT ANY WAY THEY CAN GET INVOLVED WITH THOSE. ABSOLUTELY. WE ARE GEARING UP FOR OUR BACK-TO-SCHOOL PROGRAM THAT I MENTIONED FANTASTIC AND IT TENDS TO BE OUR FAVORITE PROGRAM BECAUSE WE’RE ABLE TO SHOP ONE-ON-ONE OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE ABLE TO SHOP ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE KIDS IN CARE HELP THEM PICK OUT THAT FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL OUTFIT THEIR BACKPACK IN SCHOOL SUPPLIES, AND WE RELY HEAVILY ON COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR THAT PROGRAM TO DONATE SCHOOL SUPPLIES TO SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER AND ALL OF THAT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE. FANTASTIC ABBY WORTH WITH CITIZENS CARING FOR CHILDREN. THANK YOU. EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO FOR THE COMMUN