A HEART-WARMING initiative providing children in foster care with essential items like clothes and toiletries will expand across the New England region.
Started by 10-year-old Walcha student Simon Wellings last year, the project sees backpacks filled with items like toiletries and school supplies provided to children who have been rushed into out-of-home-care.
On his 9th birthday, Simon put the call out to help him collect things to create a backpack to be given to each child when they are placed in foster care.
Thanks to generous donations from individuals, organisations and service clubs across the region he collected more than $10,000 worth of goods and was able to put together backpacks worth about $60 each.
It's since been named 'Simon's Just 4 U Backpacks' program, and now the state government has provided $5000 to expand it across the region.
The Rotary Club of Walcha will provide packs to the Department of Communities and Justice to carers for distribution to carers in the more than 15 inland communities in Rotary District 9650.
Rotary Club of Walcha president Andrew Corlette said the organisation had negotiated to take over and extend Simon's initiative and hopefully build it into an annual project.
"Based on advice from the Department of Communities and Justice, the New England region deals with up to 300 foster care placements annually," Mr Corlette said.
"The children these backpacks support are amongst our most vulnerable. Our project is endorsed by agencies like Challenge and Pathfinders, who through their involvement with Simon's 2020 efforts, have firsthand experience of the benefit these backpacks bring.
"Should we be able to raise a target of $25,000 we expect to be able to provide ample number backpacks to meet demand. If we achieve this we will then look to expand further into the coastal regions of our district," he said.
Announcing the funding, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall said through this innovation, Simon and his family had provided children in out-of-home-care with compassion during an incredibly difficult time in their lives.
"In some circumstances children are removed from their home environment urgently, giving them no time to pack even a toothbrush," Mr Marshall said.
"Through his own family's experiences with foster caring, Simon identified this need and set out himself to provide bags of essentials, which can be picked up and taken with children at a moment's notice.
"I'm pleased to have been able to support the Rotary Club of Walcha's efforts to grow the program," he said.
