TITUSVILLE, Fla. — A Brevard County teen is earning his Eagle Scout rank with a program designed to comfort kids going through troubling times.

What You Need To Know

  • Experts say that children involved in domestic abuse cases are often out of their homes

  • Eagle Scout Ian Purvis is raising money to create care kits for kids who need access to the essentials in those cases

  • They will be brought along with police when responding to domestic violence cases

Ian Purvis is a Life Scout and member of Troop #309. He says he’s happy was able to grow up in a stable home environment, encouraged by his parents to strive for success.

But he says he knows that many kids don’t have that.

“I wanted to help out kids that are less fortunate than myself, in scary situations,” Purvis said.

He is talking about domestic violence, and the turmoil surrounding it. Especially for children who are separated from their parents while police investigate. Many times, kids are put in foster care, not knowing what is next for them.

Purvis raised $3,000 to buy the to-go kits for the Titusville Police Department's Soar Program.

He says he decided to take action when he found out about some children in staying in hotels near where he lives.

“There were a couple kids going to the elementary school that would live in the hotels and they would get pulled out for situations where they would need a bag like this,” Purvis said.

As part of his Eagle Scout project, Purvis is helping to provide kids with care bags filled with things they might need when abruptly taken out of their home during a domestic violence case.

“There’s a flashlight in every single bag, a little toiletry kit,” he said.

Titusville Police Department victim advocate Michelle Flowers says 65% of her cases involve children, ranging from infants to teenagers. And many times, women are fleeing with their kids in the middle of the night, she said.

“They don’t have anything — they have to take whatever they have, they can’t take any of their personal belongings, they have to leave, and in a sense they are homeless, so those kits are going to help tremendously,” Flowers said.

The plan is for officers to take the kits with them when they respond to domestic violence calls and give them to children in the hopes that they will provide them with some sense of comfort while their world is turned upside down.

Purvis said he’s happy the Titusville Police Department is embracing his idea to help children see light in times of darkness.

“I think it will make their transition a little easier,” he said.