The 4th Annual “Give a Little Extra Love” event occurred on March 4, 2016 at Young Scholars Child Care Center in Ingleside, Illinois. Chrys Zastrow is the driving force behind this event, aimed at providing comfort kits to foster children. A comfort kit is comprised of a new duffel bag containing a fleece blanket, stuffed animal, water bottle, book or craft and a toiletry kit containing shampoo/conditioner, body wash, toothbrush and toothpaste.

Chrys knows all too well that foster children often arrive at their new homes with nothing to call their own. When Chrys and her husband, Matthew, welcomed their three daughters as foster children a few years ago, they arrived with only the clothes on their backs.

The children and staff at Young Scholars Child Care Center hold fundraisers all year long to purchase the supplies for the comfort kits. They also solicited donations and discounts from local stores. This year’s donors included JoAnn Fabrics, Garvey Office Supply, CASA and Dr. Katie Hauf. Girl Scout Cadet Troop 96 ran this year’s event and cut all the material for the blankets. This scout troop also conducted fundraisers to purchase supplies.

The 4th Annual fundraiser will donate 150 comfort kits split equally between three agencies, One Hope United, Arden Shores and Department of Children and Family Services. Foster children from each of these agencies are enrolled at Young Scholars Child Care Center.
Hats off to Chrys and her continued passion to bring a smile and some comfort to children in foster care at a difficult time in their lives!