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Allison Reneau, left, and Avary Reneau set up PJs Monday for a Christmas pajama and diaper drive for foster youngsters. [Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune]
A mother-daughter duo hope to supply some colour and heat for native foster kids this vacation season.
Day care proprietor Allison Reneau and her daughter, Avary Reneau, a newly minted foster mama, are spearheading a group of pajamas, diapers, Pull-ups (for toddlers) and wipes to make the vacations somewhat happier for the 450 to 500 youngsters positioned with foster households in Jackson County.
They’ll gather all the above gadgets by way of Dec. 20, with three drop-off areas in Jackson County.
Avary Reneau, of Medford, grew to become a foster father or mother this summer season — on the ripe previous age of twenty-two — after years of longing to open her coronary heart and residential. Having grown up watching her mom run a day care, tending different folks’s kids, she’s all the time liked to take care of kids and infants and knew she’d open her own residence as quickly as she had one.
“After I was 16 or 17, I went with my mother for a gathering on foster parenting. It form of opened the door to get extra info and bought me excited about how a lot it was one thing I’d actually like to do sooner or later,” she mentioned.
“I moved out after I was 21. On my final time period of faculty, I made a decision, ‘Let’s go forward and begin the method.’ I graduated school the primary a part of June and bought my first placement on the finish of June.”
An apart: The youthful Reneau initially went to highschool for criminology however later modified her focus to childhood schooling and works for the household’s day care, which permits her to deliver “her” youngsters to work.
Her first placement was a 2 1/2-year-old. Her second was a 12-day-old child who frolicked within the neonatal intensive care unit.
In organising for every of the 2, the youthful Reneau mentioned she was grateful for entry to the Jackson County Foster Guardian Warehouse and wished to assist restock its cabinets with gadgets which are hardest to maintain available.
Whereas a lot of garments and different gadgets are available, new PJs, diapers and wipes are all the time in brief provide, she mentioned, noting “they virtually by no means have diapers and wipes.”
“Each my placements didn’t actually include something after I bought them. You actually get a telephone name at like 1:00 within the afternoon or late at evening. They usually’re in your home that night or the subsequent day,” she mentioned.
“We normally give kiddos at my mother’s day care a pair of pajamas as a present, so we began pondering there are loads of kiddos in foster care who would like to have a brand-new pair of jammies, too.”
Allison Reneau mentioned it was heartwarming to see her daughter grow to be a foster father or mother and attempt to assist different households doing the identical.
“I’ve 4 youngsters, and a few of them have been extra into the youngsters within the day care, similar to some individuals are simply meant to be round youngsters greater than others,” mentioned the mother.
“She’s all the time had an enormous coronary heart and all the time been actually into the youngsters.”
Christina Finke, treasurer of the Jackson County Foster Guardian Affiliation and supervisor of the clothes and provide warehouse, mentioned each donation makes a distinction within the lives of native kids. Finke was excited for the PJ drive.
“We’re so thrilled they’re doing this. When youngsters enter foster care, they sometimes solely include the garments on their backs,” mentioned Finke.
“Having some brand-new comfortable jammies only for them is so particular and an enormous consolation throughout a really traumatic time. JCFPA is completely funded by group donations, and we couldn’t do what we do with out their help. We’re very grateful.”
Avary Reneau mentioned she had been fortunate to obtain “a lot of help” since she grew to become a foster father or mother and, with the PJ drive, she’s merely “paying it ahead” a bit.
“Now we have tremendous supportive households in our day care and all the time provides of assist and donated gadgets or issues their youngsters develop out of. It’s actually candy,” she mentioned.
“I’m very fortunate to have such a supportive village round me.”
Donations of recent pajamas or packs of diapers, Pull-ups and wipes shall be accepted by way of Dec. 20 at three areas in Jackson County:
Mod Pizza in Ashland, 2305 Ashland St., 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday by way of Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Thursday by way of Saturday
Isler (accounting workplace) in Medford, 839 Alder Creek Drive, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday by way of Friday
Harper’s Ice Cream in Phoenix, 721 Most important St., 3-8:30 p.m., Wednesday by way of Sunday.
Attain reporter Buffy Pollock at 541-776-8784 or bpollock@rosebudmedia.com. Comply with her on Twitter @orwritergal
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