Austin Community College (ACC) faculty and staff came through for foster youth in a big way this spring. The ACC community raised $3,081 and collected 54 pieces of luggage for local students aging out of the system — surpassing our fundraising goal and pushing the drive’s total past $20,000 since it launched in 2009.
Here’s what that adds up to: alongside the 54 suitcases dropped off, the dollars raised cover roughly 68 more carry-on bags at $45 each — more than 120 pieces of luggage in all, well beyond this year’s goal of 60.
Each spring, around 60 Austin area youth age out of foster care, often with nothing but a trash bag to hold everything they own. Your donations change that moment, replacing a trash bag with something that tells these students they — and everything they carry — matter.
Amber Huffman, manager of Parenting and Family Engagement, was moved by how the ACC community rallied for these students: “When we dropped off the luggage with the Department of Family and Protective Services, the staff were blown away by the generosity of the faculty, staff, and community at Austin Community College, stating that each and every piece of luggage is so crucial for our Central Texas graduates. The generosity of our ACC community makes such a difference for our students and in the lives of our Central Texas community!”
All contributions benefit the Department of Family and Protective Services’ Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program. To every colleague who gave: thank you for showing up for these students. Watch for next year’s Foster Care Luggage Drive in May.