COMFORT CASES A SIMPLE NONPROFIT MAKING A PROFOUND DIFFERENCE
I was sitting at my desk one afternoon when I got a lovely call from Alice, who was from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. She told me they were having their annual board meeting that October, and they were looking for a service project to do together. She was reaching out to board-certified attorneys, certified through the NBTA, in the area to see if they had any recommendations for local nonprofit groups.
It is such a simple concept. The executive director, Rob Scheer, shared his story of experiencing
foster care and the simple yet incredibly deeply etched indignity of being shuffled from home to home with nothing to carry except a trash bag (ComfortCases.org/book). Everyone who listened raptly to his story was horrified — most people don’t know the quiet shame of being in foster care and being treated like a leftover. So, Rob Scheer did something about it. He founded Comfort Cases, a nonprofit organization located in Rockville with a very simple mission: no more trash bags for children in foster care.
I was thrilled that she called because here at Donahoe Kearney, we have several groups with whom we are connected. You may remember our profiles on the DC Dream Center, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), and the Father McKenna Center.
We each had a kit to put together for these kids. It contained a beautiful, high-quality backpack, brand-new pajamas, a blanket,
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an assembly of toiletries, books, a journal, and a card that said, “Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you feel.” These backpacks will go directly to a child who will not have to use a trash bag to carry their belongings. And you can be a part of this for as little as $10 a month.
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The organization that was the best fit (and my former employer) was the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, which does incredible work here in the United States and abroad with regard to domestic and foreign policy. CCAI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 2001 by advocates of children in the U.S. and around the world in need of families. These advocates sought to match the commitment of members of Congress’ Adoption Caucus, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, with the information and resources needed to make the dream of a family a reality for every child. While CCAI didn’t have any need for service at the moment (if we would have hit in November, it would have been high time for their Angels in Adoption Program), they connected us with another incredible organization, Comfort Cases.
If you’re interested in partnering with Comfort Cases, there are a few ways to do it! You can volunteer time at Comfort Cases in Rockville or at a special event like we did with the NBTA. You can contribute money or make in- kind contributions. Learn more at ComfortCases.org/ support-us. But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. You too can be a part of making sure no child ever has to carry a trash bag again. -Brooke Birkey
I didn’t know anything about Comfort Cases
originally, but from my work with CCAI, I had an idea of what they did. Still, I was blown away when I arrived.
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