LOCAL COLLEGE STUDENT DEDICATES SUMMER TO HELP FOSTER KIDS

Since 2009, Jessica Britt, the salutatorian of Apalachee High School Class of 2013 and a second year student at Georgia Tech, has been making a difference in the community. While most college students spend their summers poolside, Jessica dedicates her time to a project that is near and dear to her heart. She created “Kayla’s Kits” for foster kids. The project aims to help children adjust to their new lives in foster care by providing them with items that they need and items that provide comfort.
Kayla’s Kits was inspired by a foster child named Kayla that Jessica met in Girl Scouts during elementary school. When Kayla and her siblings were placed into foster care, they didn’t understand what was happening, and they were not allowed to bring anything with them because all of their possessions were considered “contaminated.” Upon arrival at their new home, their foster parents were unprepared and didn’t have anything for them. Every year thousands of children across the US are also taken straight from what they know, and placed into something unknown and scary with nothing of their own.
Kayla’s Kits are designed to help ease a child’s transition to foster care by providing them with a canvas tote filled with thoughtful items that include: toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, comb, feminine products, etc.), stuffed animals, toys, journals, books, school supplies (pen, pencil, paper, etc.), crafts, activities, and more. Each of the bags is carefully hand packed with age specific items, by local volunteers and are then given to DFCS to distribute.
These canvas bags can make such a difference in these children’s lives. Last year when a 5 year old girl received a Kayla’s Kit and the tag on the tote was read to her, she named her Teddy Bear “Kayla”. The foster parents and DFCS employees said that “Kayla” did everything with her. “Kayla” ate with her, played with her, and slept with her. “Kayla” was there for her when her world was falling apart, and she found comfort in receiving a Teddy Bear and much more. A young boy who came into DFCS only wanted a toothbrush because his old toothbrush was broken into four separate pieces. The Kayla’s Kit he received had the one thing he wanted in it: a toothbrush.
This summer, Jessica made 200 Kayla’s Kits for Barrow, Jackson, and Walton counties. In order to reach this goal, Jessica raised money by asking for donations, hosting a yard sale, going on multiple $500 shopping trips, and spending hours organizing items and creating an inventory so each bag would be filled with only the best items. Since each bag is age and gender specific, Jessica held a packing party on August 9th, at Midway United Methodist Church where volunteers had a hands on opportunity to help with the project and see what goes into each kit.
Since the launch of this project in 2009, Jessica has created 478 Kayla’s Kits. Even though she has never met a child who has received a Kayla’s Kit, these children have stolen her heart and she aims to one day have a bag for every child who enters foster care. She plans to make over 200 kits next summer, but she cannot do it without help from the community. To learn more about this project, go to kaylaskits.com or facebook.com/Kaylaskits or email Jessica at jessicabritt@kaylaskits.com. If you would like to make a donation to help create a Kayla’s Kit (each one cost $25) please make checks payable to Midway UMC and mark that it is for “Kayla’s Kits”. They can be mailed to Midway UMC, 215 Kilcrease Road, Auburn, GA 30011.