Crafts for Kids

The Hope's in Academy is a HOPE'S IN program being piloted at Barrington High School. The mission of the program is to give students the skills and confidence to make an impact and is a direct link to a core element in HOPE'S IN's mission: their aim to help develop the next generation of humanitarian leaders.

Throughout a year of virtual learning, the Hope's in Academy students met online and grew as humanitarian leaders. As a culmination of their service learning curriculum, the students are implementing a project called Crafts For Kids.

Crafts for Kids is an initiative started by a group of students in Hope’s In Academy to benefit youth in foster care.

Each year, more than 4,000 kids enter the foster care system in Illinois alone. It is stressful and scary for any child who enters a foster care system for the first time. Hope’s In Academy partnered with Let it Be Us to further provide a more comfortable transition into a foster care system for each child.

Our project is called Crafts for Kids where we donate a kit of art supplies and snacks to Let it Be Us who will then distribute them to foster kids. We have designed two different kits; one for younger kids, and one for teens. Our goal is to donate 100 kits to Let it Be Us. However, that is unattainable without your help. You can help by donating a kit.

We cannot begin to imagine the hardships youth in foster care have went through. Our kits are just one part of a huge system which is dedicated to providing these kids with a stable and healthy environment that they can grow up in. Working on this project with Hope’s In Academy not only allowed us to be creative, but also practice our organizational and communication skills. Although Covid-19 provided some challenges, our team was able to come together over Zoom to brainstorm ideas and organize this project. On behalf of everyone who has worked on this project we thank you for supporting us and helping us get one step closer to our goal. It is an amazing opportunity to be able to help foster youth in Illinois.

Hear from the Hope's in Academy Students

“A glimmer of hope can make all the difference. The children these kits are going to are all going through a difficult time. Our goal is for these kits to provide a glimmer of hope and a burst of encouragement for the children entering the foster care system.”

-Niyati

“This is a great cause because children being adopted and fostered deserve just as much love as any other child. There shouldn’t be any stigma around the idea of adopting/fostering a child because it’s a really noble and gratifying thing to do. I would feel content knowing I had a part in helping these kids transition into their new placements with some items of fun and comfort.”

-Hiral

“This project is a way for kids and teens to have a piece of happiness in times of uncertainty. I’m honored to be apart of a small difference this makes in someone’s day”

–Aashna

“It gives me great joy knowing that our kits are able to help foster children feel more safe and comfortable. During challenging times a little bit of comfort goes a long way, and the smallest acts of kindness can change a persons life.”

-Zaina

Give a Kit through Crafts for Kids

$470 of $2,000 raised

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Donation Total: $20 One Time

This Hope’s in Academy project is being completed through a partnership with Let It Be Us.

Let It Be Us is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the landscape of foster care and adoption in Illinois. Our mission is to inspire foster care and adoption so more children in care grow up in stable, healthy homes. Funds raised will go to programs that build the strong and innovative bridge between our waiting children and foster and adoptive parents.

Let It Be Us envisions a future in which our most vulnerable children have the opportunities and resources they need which can best be met by belonging in a family.