St. Joseph Realtor Angela Nutto has enjoyed a solid year in her chosen trade for which she is very grateful, but perhaps even more rewarding in recent months has been her role among colleagues for the 11th Annual Suitcases for Kids program benefiting Foster Children across Michigan’s Great Southwest. Nutto served on the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors committee seeking support from not only her own industry, but from the public at large for the annual fundraiser which has concluded for 2017.
The real estate industry recently celebrated the end of their eleventh annual campaign which resulted in $5,525 in cash donations and the collection of more than 150 backpacks and numerous personal items to help the foster kids of Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties.
The fundraiser benefits local foster children under the supervision of the Michigan Department of Human Services in the tri-county region. Many of the children have very little or no personal items that they can take with them when they are moved into foster care, so the new backpacks, new clothing and personal healthcare items make a huge impact during a sad and confusing time for them.
The community support for this fundraiser also contributed to its success. In addition to donating personal care items and cash donations, local businesses provided items for a silent auction.
In addition to Angela, the Suitcases for Kids committee members included Carolyn Krueger, Cindy Stovern, Chelley Bussey, Jenny Johnson, Lori Bennet, Patti Badner, and Kathy Pallas. The committee members are all Realtors or Affiliate Members of Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors.
The Michigan Department of Human Services directors for all three counties thanked the Realtors and other fundraiser participants at the celebration for their support and gave insight into what the program means to them personally and for the children under their supervision.
From Berrien County DHS, Michelle Kuiken says, “The Suitcases for Kids Campaign allows us, at Berrien County Department of Health and Human Services, to give kids coming into foster care a care package that usually includes new PJ’s, new socks, new underwear, and a toothbrush and toothpaste of their own to take to their placement. This makes a huge difference for a child who may not have been able to bring anything from their home.” She adds, “The child picks out all of these goodies and they go into a new back pack that the child will use for months for all kinds of things. We are very grateful to the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors.”
Julie Becktell, Van Buren County Department of Human Services, says, “The Suitcases for Kids program enables us to provide so many of the extras that our foster children often do not get to experience,” adding, “This goes a long way in helping to provide a normal childhood experience to a child who often feels their life is anything but normal.”
Maria Solis, Cass County DHS, says, “We want to extend our gratitude to all who participate in the Suitcase For Kids campaign. This program has been very generous to our community aiding the most vulnerable. We see so many children come into foster care with little to nothing notwithstanding the fact that their lives have been devastated. I continue to be grateful for the generosity of others and their willingness to help whom they may not know or ever see, from the perspective of the Department of Health and Human Services in Cass County, these actions are what truly define social work and community.”
Suitcases for Kids was started in 1995 by 10 year-old, Aubyn Burnside after learning that the average child in foster care moves three to four times and traditionally carries his or her personal belongings from home to home in black garbage bags. This nonprofit international program has spread throughout the United States as well as nine foreign countries.
Aubyn’s story has been featured in eight books including Keeping President Clinton’s Five-Point Promise to Children, Extraordinary Girls, Business of the Heart: How Everyday Americans Are Changing the World, and What Do You Stand For? (A Kid’s Guide to Character). Segments about Suitcases For Kids have appeared on public television shows.
The Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors, Inc. is a professional trade association for real estate licensees who are members of the National Association of Realtors and ancillary service providers for the real estate industry in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren Counties. The Association can be contacted at 269-983-6375 or through their website at www.swmar.com
Shown in the photo accompanying this story are (from left to right): Patti Badner, Kemner-Iott Agency of Cass County, Cassopolis; Lori Bennett, Cressy & Everett Real Estate, Stevensville; Michelle Kuiken, Berrien County Dept. of Human Services; Angela Nutto, Keller Williams Realty SWM, St. Joseph; Jenny Johnson, Union Home Mortgage, St. Joseph; and Alan Jeffries, Association Executive, Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors with a check for the Berrien County share of the proceeds.
