 This effort was started by Lois Laughlin, a member of the
Jefferson Street Church.
"We have received an awesome outpouring of help from them," said
Cince Bowns, a supervisor at DCFS. She said it began as a small
donation from the church in the form of photo albums and has grown
from there.
"The photo albums are for the kids to put their pictures in,"
said Bowns.
The church followed up that donation by asking DCFS if they
needed anything else. Soon a very large donation of toys was brought
in, including a kitchen play set. Along with the toys came
furniture, such as a new couch.
Then came a surprising offer from church members. They offered to
redecorate the visiting room at the office, including a new paint
job and new furniture.
"The visiting room promises to be so much nicer than before,"
said Bowns. The visiting room is where children spend time with
their parents or with foster parents.
Saturday a group from the church gathered at the DCFS office and
began their newest project with a fresh coat of paint on the walls.
While the exact decoration is still in the planning stages, it
already looks better with just the new coat of white paint.
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Church members who volunteered their time were Carolyn Slayton,
Cynthia Clark, and Dave and Desiree Stephenson.
Bowns noted that DCFS is incredibly grateful for all of the help
the Jefferson Street Christian Church has sent their way. The toys,
the furniture, the time and effort the volunteers have put in --
everything that has been and will be done as part of this project is
a donation from very helpful people.
[By DEREK HURLEY]
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