The Mission of Suitcases4Kids
We embrace the needs of children moving into or out of state care, any type of shelter or homeless environment and provide them with a suitcase for their personal belongings so that children gain a sense of dignity and help to create a better world.
“Helping Foster Children Move with Dignity, One Suitcase at a Time!”
WE WANT YOUR PENNIESAnnouncing the Million Penny Drive
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NOVEMBER FUNDRAISERCome join Suitcases4Kids at a Cranky Yankee Benefit Performance in the Lesley University Amphitheatre in Cambridge, MA on Friday, November 9, 2012 at 8:00p.m.!Boston actor Jim Cooke brings to life Daniel Webster, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and Edward Everett!See the fundraiser flyer for more information.Do not miss this amazing peformance!Suggested donation: $15-$25
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Our fundraiser at Fuddrucker’s in October was a rousing success! Attendees enjoyed good food and an abundance of door prizes donated by our sponsors!Thank you to our team, sponsors and everyone that came in for the fun!! |
The Fifth Grade Empathy Committee with the 5th grade students of the Annie L. Sargent School in North Andover Massachusetts proudly announced their FIRST EVER suitcase drive.It was held on April 28, 2012 from 10:00AM to 2:00PM |
Thank you to North Andover High School students and teachers in North Andover, Massachusetts for having a suitcase drive in Colby Kenney’s memory.79 suitcases were raised and distributed to the children at Saint Ann’s Home in Methuen, Massachusetts. |
Staples donates suitcases to Natick’s Brandon School.
“In almost every musty basement, garage or attic, there is an old, forgotten suitcase that has long since been replaced by shiny new luggage.
And all around the country, when foster children are forced to move their belongings, they throw them in trash bags, putting their prized possessions into containers for garbage.
Donation efforts by Staples corporate headquarters in Framingham, however, have started to change that.” Â Read More
See pictures from our suitcase drive in Rhode Island!
Suitcase Drives/Fundraiser Flyers
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January 2012
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February 2012
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March 2012
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April 2012
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May 2012
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June 2012
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July 2012 |
August 2012
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September 2012
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October 2012
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November 2012
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December 2012 |
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January 2013
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February 2013
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March 2013 |
April 2013 |
Our Founder, Ron Nickerson, was interviewed by Jordan Rich of WBZ News Radio 1030 about Suitcases 4 Kids.
Jordan Rich Interview
See our page dedicated to tracking our stamped dollar bills.
Suitcases4Kids.org recognized by the Honorable Congresswoman Niki Tsongas!
OUR GOAL = 510,000Â suitcases for the United States
Find Out More About Your State Here
CJ’s story – a story from a child that has moved a countless number of times:
My name is Chris, my friends call me CJ and I am 14 years old and in the 8th grade. DSS took me away from my real parents when I was little; I think I was 2 or something like that. They tried to keep me with my brother but the family said they couldnât handle me. I moved around a lot and I donât remember how many times or all the homes until I moved into a program.
I was 7 years old the first time I went into a program. I was scared. The staff told me to go into my room and put my stuff away. All my stuff was in trash bags, someone must have thought it was trash and one of the bags that had my toys in it got lost. I was only there for a short time, but it seemed like it was forever. The things that I remember most was that al the windows had locks on them and were covered with hard plastic and there was no privacy.
I used to wet my bed and the first night I was so scared that I was afraid to use the bathroom. The next morning when they woke us up the staff walked in the bedroom I sharing with three other kids and announced to the entire unit that âCJ pissed his bed and he needs to take a showerâ. I hated him. Looking back I spent most of my time sitting in a chair facing the wall. I was determined not to let them see me cry.
I left there and went to my next foster home, again in trash bags this time they were the heavy green ones. I was careful this time not to pack all my toys in one bag. The home was okay but DSS moved me again after only a few months. They had already thrown all my stuff into the cheap white kitchen trash bags. The pictures of my real family were just thrown in and some of them were torn or bent. After leaving this home DSS sent me to a hospital because they said I had âanger problems.â I tried to fight it by throwing rocks at the DSS workers car but that just brought the police and an ambulance. I was 8.
While I was at the hospital they put me on meds to âhelp control my angerâ I hated the meds, they made me slow and I gained a lot of weight. After leaving the hospital I was sent to a program. I was there for about a year. They said I was better and they sent me to another foster home in trash bags.
The next two years was spent going from home to home with a few hospitals thrown in. Each time I left in trash bags, I became grateful when the family that was getting rid of me gave me the heavy green trash bags. During those 2 years I think moved 8 times, I was 10 years old.
The next home was a home that was good they were able to put up with me and all the bad behaviors that I had. I was there for 3 years when they gave up. This sucked the most as I was just beginning to trust them. I donât know how many times I have actually moved but itâs been a lot. I am in a new home now and I really want it to work.
