When Community Action Director Ellen Allen heard of the efforts to donate new suitcases to foster children through the Lighten the Load campaign in St. Clair County, she said her heart broke for those children and she wanted to do something more to help.  

“I started crying when Judge (Philip) Seay told us the story,” Allen said.  

“But you didn’t just say ‘someone needs to do something,’” Seay replied. “You (Allen) went out and did something.” 

What Allen did is gather volunteers and clients from Community Action, which helps build a coalition of partnerships, volunteers, and programs dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty. With the help of Clara Christopher, peer advocate with Disability Rights & Resources, they gathered volunteers for a sewing circle to make blankets and luggage tags for foster children, so they would have something to go in their suitcases that would go with them. They also had 100 teddy bears donated by United Healthcare.  

“[Ellen] was inspired by the work being done by our [Lighten the Load] campaign for the foster children in our county,” Laurie Mize Henderson, co-founder of the Lighten the Load campaign shared on their Facebook page. “She was so inspired she sprang into action…The Sewing Circle, several of whom are physically handicapped or disabled, went to work sewing security blankets, pillows, and initial tags to go along with the luggage we have already collected for St. Clair County’s foster children.” 

There are currently 82 children in the foster care system in St. Clair County and there are approximately 3,500 children in foster care throughout Alabama, according to the Alabama Children’s Policy Council.   

“It is a blessing,” Judy Barton, one of the volunteers that help sew and cut material said. “My heart goes out to children.” 

The Lighten the Load campaign was conceived and designed by Juvenile Dependency (Family Court) attorneys Laurie Mize Henderson and Jennifer Sellers to provide each foster child in St. Clair County with a brand new, large, hard-sided, rolling piece of luggage that the children can call their own and protect what few possessions they have during their time in foster care.   

“This is an ongoing project, and the response so far has been amazing and humbling,” Mize said. “Our intent is to give a suitcase to each child currently in care and then to each child that is brought into care in the future.”  At last count, Mize said they had 168 suitcases that have been donated by individuals and local companies.  

The project is also spreading statewide and regionally, with a ‘Foster Care Task Force’ of around 25 judges and attorneys statewide doing what they can to help children. Their goals are to limit the time children spend in foster care, by reunification with parents if possible, placement with family members, or adoption.  

The Sewing Circle had completed several luggage tags and security blankets, which they gave to Allison Boyd with the St. Clair County Department of Human Resources to go to foster children. 

“To say that this donation from the Sewing Circle, Community Action, and Disability Rights and Resources is humbling is an understatement,” Mize said. “God continues to use people in different ways, many without them even knowing, to spread the word of our Campaign and the positive impact it is making on the lives of St. Clair County’s foster children.” 

New, large, hard-sided, rolling suitcases can be donated Laurie Mize Henderson’s office at 1906 Cogswell Avenue, Pell City or at Jennifer Seller’s office located at 1918 Cogswell Avenue, Pell City or contact 205-338-0061 or 334-437-0303. 

The Sewing Circle has around eight regular volunteers, like Stanley Bedford who also volunteers to clean the social services building once a week, but they always need more volunteers that are willing to sew or just cut fabric and ribbon. They are also accepting donations of ribbon and fabric.  

The Sewing Circle will meet on Feb. 23, March 9, and March 23 at the Community Action Center located at 405 19th Street South, Pell City. For more information about how you can donate or be involved, contact Ellen Allen with Community Action at 205-884-4358 or Clara Christopher with Disability Rights & Resources at 205-353-5344.