Dec. 30, 2019 – Each year, in lieu of exchanging holiday gifts with
one another, the Southeast Georgia Health System Information Systems (IS)
department chooses a local organization or charity to support. This year
they chose to continue the tradition with a donation of 62 “First
48 Hours” bags to
Hope 1312 Collective, previously known as Foster Hope before consolidating with Hope 1312 Collective.
Hope 1312 Collective is an organization that gives hope to the foster families
in Glynn County. Their goal is to share, support and shape the stories
of children from hard places. The “First 48 Hours” bags are
given to the children when they are placed with their foster family. Each
bag includes a few essential items to help smooth the transition during
the first few days of placement, which is a very vulnerable time.
Spearheaded by Lydia Nave, applications analyst, Information Systems, this
is the fourth year the department has donated bags, and each year the
number increases. Although the IS team collects items for the bags all
year, they get serious when the holidays are near.
“In 2016, we donated 31 bags, 46 in 2017 and 55 bags in 2018,”
says Nave. “I am so proud of our team for pulling together again
and going above and beyond to put together 62 bags.”
The bags contain a variety of items depending on the age of the child,
including diapers, pajamas, socks, combs, toothbrushes and formula. The
bags are stored in the Hope Closet at Glynn County Department of Family
and Children Services, a project headed by St. Simons Community Church.
The dedicated room is filled with items to support tangible needs of children
in foster care.
Meghan Davis and Amanda Holt of Brunswick founded Foster Hope in 2015.
As foster parents themselves, Davis and Holt know children often arrive
at a home with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. “It
is often very traumatic for the children, they’re frightened and
feeling very vulnerable. As a foster parent, having items to help comfort
them and get them settled, such as pajamas and small stuffed animals,
helps immensely.”
Hope Collective efforts were launched in 2014 by a small group of community
members, social workers, foster parents, youth pastors and business executives
who were tired of seeing children linger in the foster care system and
children from hard places continue to struggle to find hope. Their goal
is to see resources leveraged for meaningful impact, the church truly
be the church, and lives change through an encounter with hope. Today,
the Hope Collective represents a unified body of churches committed to
re-writing the story of child welfare in Glynn County.
Hope 1312 Collective and Foster Hope have been working together since 2015
and decided to consolidate to Hope 1312 Collective in 2020.
“This donation really touches our hearts. It makes us more aware
of our blessings and gives us the chance to share them with innocent children
and support the families willing to help shelter and raise them in their
homes,” adds Nave. “We may not be in the position to become
foster parents ourselves, but that does not mean we are incapable of helping.
I’m very appreciative and thank everyone who contributed and helped
to organize, count and stuff bags.”
For more information about Hope 1312 Collective, visit
hope1312co.org.