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Gallatin salon owner is 'Fostering Hope' for children this Christmas

Gallatin salon owner is 'Fostering Hope' for children this Christmas
Posted at 4:48 PM, Nov 22, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-22 19:40:08-05

GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — At Studio 1:9 in Gallatin, owner Jordyn Clark is making her lists and checking them twice.

"They're so valuable to me too," she said. "They're like little treasures, right? Because nobody else gets to see these lists other than us."

At the top of each list is a number that coincides with an ornament on the tree — each number represents a child in foster care in Sumner County.

"Number 17 is a 12-year-old girl," she read aloud. "She wants a Harry Potter wand, a long sleeve hoodie, some books."

Clark calls it 'Fostering Hope.'

"What we ask is that you get their initials on it and you get a number on the back, and then you take this and they give you a list and it's something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read," said Clark.

She is hoping to help 150 children, more than double the amount she helped last year.

"So our goal is to get everything off the tree," she said. "We don't want a single child leftover and if they are leftover we still find a way."

Clark hopes in the next few weeks every ornament is taken off the tree by generous donors.

"The purpose of this is for these kids to feel some sort of love that they may not be getting elsewhere," said Clark. "Because I know that's what I needed."

It's a sharp pain she can relate to. Clark spent time in and out of the system as a child.

"I was raised in the Pacific Northwest and I was very, very lucky and blessed to have a set of grandparents that took us in, but the reason they took us in is that the system completely failed us at the beginning of our lives," she said.

She hopes every child in foster care knows the gift of love this holiday season.

"Hopefully we'll get them all taken care of. If not we'll be at Walmart at midnight getting it all done," she laughed.

If you are interested in donating, you can contact Studio 1:9 here.


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