46 OCTOBER 2017 Arc A d A News By Laura Cafiso Not all heroes wear capes as evidenced by Adriane Grimaldi who started Sewing Project to Help Foster Kids (SPHFK). Her grassroots organization sews duffle bags for children, using pillow cases and material with fun, kid-friendly prints such as butterflies, basketballs and ruby red slippers a la the Wizard of Oz. These bags are then gifted to children entering foster care, a welcome alternative to the standard black trash bags that are provided to them. A former foster parent, Grimaldi noticed when her first foster sons showed up at her door with their belongings packed in black plastic bags. This small, yet significant, detail impacted her immensely. “Personally I just thought that was wrong. It was a message that it sends to these children… that they’re not important, their belongings are not important,” Grimaldi said. Every day in Arizona 34 children enter the foster system. “Most children come into foster care with little more than the clothes on their back or what they can carry in a trash bag,” according to Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation. From 2004 - 2014, Adriane and her former husband fostered six sets of brothers, she said. In 2008, Adriane thought of transforming pillow cases into duffle bags for the children. From there her idea grew wings, as she shared it with others. Like any volunteer-led project, SPHFK is boosted by the assistance it receives from volunteers. High school students, grandmothers and fathers all over the Valley sew bags at home, school, and church. Most days, Grimaldi has a steady supply of bags, material, cording for drawstrings and even stuffed animals dropped off on her front porch. On the third Saturday of the month, September through May, she leads SPHFK’s monthly sewing day, at Scottsdale’s Granite Reef Senior Center. The room is scattered with already sewn emoji-printed pillowcases, 100% cotton material with brightly colored Disney characters, waiting to be cut into pieces, and metallic cording for drawstrings. From 9 a.m. to noon, anywhere from 10-25 volunteers sew, count, sort bags, and socialize. Other community members drop off bags they’ve already sewn. September’s meeting included Yadira and her son Fidel from Laveen. They’ve been volunteering for this project for six years. “If we cannot help with money, we have time..so we can still do something to help,” Yadira said. Fidel, now a high school senior, sews, strings the bags and cuts material. “Just for Adriane to share what these pillowcases have been doing for the kids... to know that...it melts my heart,” Yadira said. Even though Adriane has grown her volunteer base, she remains the point person, dropping off finished bags to benefit children served by Catholic Social Services, Child Crisis Arizona; and the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS - formerly Child Protective Services or CPS). “My motto is anything’s better than a trash bag. So even though the sewing’s crooked or it’s got the wrong color thread, the kids love it because it’s something that somebody made for them,” Adriane said. In the last nine years, Grimaldi and her volunteer recruits have sewn just over 20,000 pilowcase bags. Adriane is indeed a hero for foster children. Her “little idea” has made a tremendous impact. SPHFK’s colorful soft “suitcases” soften the journey for children leaving their homes traveling to foster care. If you would like to volunteer, contact Adriane at 480- 489-1052 or email her at sewingprojectaz@outlook.com. Group puts their sewing efforts toward helping foster kids (left) Adriane Grimaldi, founder of SPHFK, shows off her favorite butterfly pillow case bag, while volunteer Yadira (right) brings her own sewing machine to make pillow cases. Welcome Open House Phoenix, AZ 85018 www.stcs.us Curriculum Featuring Weekly School Mass Connect4Learning (Pre-K) Religion through Seeds Language and Literacy Math Personal and Social Development Social Studies Science Creative Art Experiences Music Library Physical Education Now, more than ever, we need to win the hearts and minds of our children and instill Gospel values. Early Childhood Center invites you to an Open House Sunday, October 22 , 2017 12:00 to 2:00 PM Programs for children ages 3 - 5 Pre-School - 3 year olds (Full day or half day) Pre-Kindergarten - 4 year olds Kindergarten - 5 year olds Join us at the open house or call for a personal tour (602) 840-0010 Sunday October 22, 2017 12:00 - 2:00 PM