Nonprofit brings comfort to foster children by renovating Child Protective Services offices
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - A nonprofit traveled to Waco to help make foster kids’ experiences vibrant as they’re in visitation rooms at Child Protective Services offices.
Brightening Dark Spaces focuses on refurbishing these government office spaces to make children feel comfortable and at home.
The group revamped the CPS offices on Austin and Herring Avenue.
Volunteers took time to either clean, paint, or decorate the waiting rooms for the foster children.
Director, Helen Hindman, said it’s challenging for a child to go through the foster care system, but adding life to the rooms makes a difference.
“We care about lightening the load on their hearts when they come into these spaces,” said Hindman, “We create trauma informed spaces. These children are coming out of a lot of abuse, neglect, trauma, domestic violence, etc. Every situation is different. So, to create spaces where love surrounds these children is a mission in our hearts,” said Hindman.
Hindman said there’s double the amount of children in Waco’s foster care system compared to Bryan and College Station combined.
She said there’s more work to do in Waco, but it’s worth it.
“I’ve learned that atmosphere really matters, it really dictates our experiences and the memories left behind us. We want to create an atmosphere where their hearts can rest. So that’s why we try to take these rooms that looked like a doctor’s office, super dark and messy, and we try to brighten them up,” said Hindman.
The group said it was able to raise $25,000 in Waco to help make this transformation possible.
“We’re so incredibly grateful for the community. We could not have done this without the Waco community. We’re grateful for their generosity and their hearts that care about these foster children and their experience in these government offices,” said Hindman.
The nonprofit plans to expand its services to larger cities to help aid even more children in foster care.
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