Toys on the way to children who need them

From CASA of the Hi-Line

Foster children along Montana’s Hi-Line will be given the magic and joy of play thanks to toys donated by the Toy Industry Foundation and distributed by National Court Appointed Special Advocates Association.

Local CASA volunteers will distribute gifts from a donation of more than 500 toys. Suitable for a variety of ages, the donation includes action figures, dolls, puzzles and games, outdoor play equipment, and arts and crafts supplies. These toys will be distributed to children in foster care throughout the area.

“We know that the toys will show these deserving children that they are not forgotten,” said Jean Butler, executive director of the Toy Industry Foundation. “They’ve experienced a great deal of adversity, and we’re here to give them back an important piece of their childhoods — play.”

Mark Douglass, director for the CASA program on the Hi-Line, said the donated toys will have a wonderful impact on the children who are in foster care.

“Foster care can be very lonely: It’s a big change for kids who are removed from their home; it can be really tough,” Douglass said. “The generosity of the Toy Industry Foundation will go a long way in bringing some joy to the faces of the children we serve.”

The partnership between the Toy Industry Foundation and National CASA began in 2013; to date, TIF has distributed more than 370,000 toys valued at more than $3.7 million to foster children served by CASA. In addition, grant funds provided by TIF to the CASA network are helping to recruit and train needed CASA volunteers to stand up for the needs and rights of abused and neglected children.

This toy donation continues a year of CASA working to give foster children in northern Montana more than a voice. In the winter, CASA of Hill County partnered with the Pajama Program to bring free pajamas and books to local children in care.

Simultaneously, the program worked with the Havre High School Key Club and Kiwanis Clubs all across Montana. The Key Club assembled backpacks for foster children, filled with personal items and treats, and the Kiwanis Clubs in Malta and Havre collected books, puzzles, games and toys for CASA volunteers to use in their work with abused children. Recently, the Kiwanis Club in Malta delivered another batch of games for CASA volunteers’ “goody bags.” CASA has also coordinated with local foster parents to be sure that even children without a CASA have benefitted.

“It really does come down to joy,” Douglass said. “Abused and neglected children don’t often have a whole lot of joy in their lives. All of these donations — games, toys, books, pajamas, backpacks — they’re all about that little bit of sunshine which these amazing kids might not experience otherwise.”

Right now in Hill County, almost 70 children who have been removed from their homes are without a CASA advocate to be their voice in the court and in the community. Children with a CASA have consistently better outcomes, with more therapeutic services for the children and their families, quicker resolution and more permanent outcomes.

Pre-service training begins in September. Every engaged adult citizen who is passionate about justice for children — the most vulnerable members of our community — is invited to apply.