JetBlue Airways launches its ninth annual “Light Up A Life” campaign in Portland with the distribution of ‘sweet cases’ to children in Spurwink’s Treatment Foster Care Program on Thursday, January 14th, 9:00 am, at the JetBlue ticket counter at the Portland International Jetport.
“Spurwink is incredibly honored and grateful to be chosen as a JetBlue ‘Light Up A Life’ Partner again this year,” states Kristen Farnham, Spurwink’s Vice President of Development. “The 24 new duffle bags will bring comfort to children in the midst of transition in our Treatment Foster Care program; they represent the community of people working to support children in need in Maine.”
The airline’s Light Up A Life campaign provides resources and support to children in foster care. Working in conjunction with non-profit foundation Together We Rise, JetBlue employees purchase, decorate, fill duffle bags—called “sweet cases”— with a coloring book, crayons, a blanket, a Pillow Pet, and hygiene items.
According to Alyse LeFleur, JetBlue Community Liaison, JetBlue has chosen Spurwink as a partners because “we want these sweet cases to go to children in need – it’s so very unfortunate that basic personal belongings, like a toothbrush, get left behind during moves and JetBlue wants to bring comfort to these foster children.”
The JetBlue partnership with California-based Together We Rise has resulted in over 2,000 sweet case donations to children in foster care across the nation. Together We Rise was started in 2008 by then 19-year-old Danny Mendoza. His hope was to improve the lives of children in foster care. The inspiration for duffle bags came when Mendoza realized children in foster care often move several times, usually packing their belongings in trash bags.
The Spurwink Treatment Foster Care support services are available to licensed foster families and individuals exploring foster care. The treatment foster care program features: a team approach, 24/7 “on-call” team member available, experienced case manager support, foster family networking, and access to extensive training and multimedia resources. For additional information www.spurwink.org/fostercare or call Resource Coordinator Rana O’Connor at 207-871-1200
