Bags of Hope

Every year, over 3 million families and children have to flee from their homes in nothing but trash bags and anything they can carry. This gives them a sense of worthlessness, as if their belongings and themselves are trash. I noticed this as a problem when one of my best friends told me she was beaten by her father. I always knew that there was child abuse and violence because my mother was a social worker, but it never clicked for me until that moment. When Christmas time came that year, my mother's office stored the trash bags of these neglected children. I knew I could do more for these kids and families, so I started Bags of Hope, where I collected suitcases and duffel bags from my community and donated them to local shelters and the Children, Youth, and Families Department. Now, it is my life goal to better the lives of these, sometimes forgotten, victims.