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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Carla Rogg 770-642-6722

Communities for Children's Smooth Moves Luggage Campaign Delivers Over 2,000 Pieces of Luggage to Georgia's Foster Children

Atlanta -With the public outpouring of support in the wake of the September 11 tragedies in New York and Washington, it's important that the needs of local communities are not forgotten. With that in mind, Communities for Children's Smooth Moves Luggage Campaign recently delivered over 2,000 pieces of luggage to children in foster care throughout Georgia.

The luggage campaign is in response to a need that is seldom considered, yet both real and heartbreaking. Think, for a moment, how chaotic it is to move to a new home. Now imagine making this move with only a garbage bag in which to carry a few possessions.

"Today in the state of Georgia, this is how thousands of foster and newly-adopted children make their custodial transitions, sometimes several times a year," says Doris Walker, Manager of the Foster Care Unit at the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.

To ease the trauma of custodial transitions, Communities for Children launched its annual Smooth Moves Luggage Campaign this past summer. "Our goal was to give each foster and newly-adopted child who needed a piece of luggage, just that. It's a way to help children make a custodial transition with a sense of dignity," says Carla Rogg, Executive Director of Communities for Children, a 501(c3) non-profit organization dedicated to instilling a sense of dignity in every foster and newly-adopted child in the state of Georgia. "Distributing 2,000 pieces of luggage is a great start, but we know there are more kids in foster care who are in need."

At any given time, well over 12,000 Georgia children are in custodial care, either because their families abused, neglected or mistreated them or were unable to care for them due to poverty, illness or crisis. Approximately half of these youngsters live in foster homes, and the vast majority of them don't have the luxury of owning a suitcase to move among foster families.

Donations of new or gently used suitcases, large duffel bags or monetary donations for the Smooth Moves Luggage Campaign will continue to be accepted and can be brought or mailed to: Communities for Children, in care of Care Solutions, Inc., 500 Sugar Mill Road, Suite 1008, Atlanta, Georgia 30350.