March 4, 2005

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AUSTIN – Unsure. Upset. Frightened. Sandra Aguilar, crisis counselor with the Austin Police Department's victim services unit, uses these words to describe children displaced by domestic violence, abuse or neglect.

"These kids are often caught in the middle of family disputes or other situations that require police intervention," she said. "Frequently, children have to leave or be taken from their homes in a hurry, so there's no time for them to take anything with them."

The "My Things" program of Texas Cooperative Extension in Travis County provides free tote bags containing items of comfort and distraction for many of these children.

Over the past five years, about 1,000 Austin-area children have received "My Things" bags, according to Jo Ann Kugle, Extension's educational instructor coordinating the program.

The bags are made by kids from the 4-H CAPITAL Club at Brooke Elementary in east Austin, working alongside a few adult volunteers.

"Each bag contains a handmade blanket donated by program volunteers, a stuffed animal, a toy and an activity of some type, such as a coloring book and crayons," Kugle said. "They are filled by third- and fourth-grade students from the 4-H club at Brooke and taken to a nearby Austin Police Department building where they distributed when needed."

Once the bags are delivered to the station, police department crisis response team members, including police officers and specially-trained volunteers, give them to children who have had to leave their homes suddenly.

Many of the children receiving the bags have been relocated to shelters or other safe alternative locations.

The idea behind the project, as well as much of the bag's logo design, came from young people who had spent time in a children's shelter due to domestic violence, Kugle said.

"The students who volunteer to help fill and deliver these bags are the same age as many of the kids who will receive them," she said. "We try to make a point that those who receive the bags realize other kids had a hand in making them. That way they can see that other kids care about them."

Ten-year-old Ricky Flores, a fifth-grader at Brooke Elementary, has been involved in the program for the past two years.

"I like making the bags because it means kids will have their own stuff," he said. "And the toys and games in the bags will help keep them from having bad memories about what's been going on."

Fifteen to 25 children from the 4-H CAPITAL Club participate in the program each year.

"That's a big change since 2000, when we only had a handful of students and even less money," Kugle said. "During that first year, we were only able to make eight hand-sewn drawstring bags."

Later the program received a small grant from the National 4-H Council that allowed them to design a logo and print 200 zippered tote bags.

"Two hundred is still about the maximum number of bags we can afford to produce each year," she said. "In talking to kids, we found that having a zipper on the bags was important because it gave them a sense of security."

To save money on printing, the children in the program use a permanent marker to add something else to the bags.

"The kids draw in the extra red color for the heart design in the middle of the bag, " Kugle explained. "That saves a little money, but it's also another way for them to be personally involved. And the fact that they're filling in the heart is very appropriate."

"Kids like the items in the bags because they make it easier to distract them from what's going on around them," Aguilar added. "Sometimes they use the crayons to make drawings that express what's been happening or how they feel. This can give crisis counselors or their mothers some insight into how to relate to them later."

Texas Extension Educators Association, Linus Project, Book Boosters, National 4-H Council, Texas 4-H Council and Met Life have all provided items for the bags.

Along with donated items, volunteers hunt for bargains, including shopping at dollar stores, according to Violet Alexander of the Extension educators association.

"We try to find items for boys or a girls within a certain age range," she said. "We shop for bargains, but always want to make sure the things we buy are useful and suitable for the kids who get them."

Volunteers have also been asked to begin making bags containing items for babies, such as pacifiers.

"After the recent tsunami disaster, some of the relief agencies gave children toys, games and other items to occupy their minds help give then a sense of normalcy," Kugle noted. "The ‘My Things' program has been doing something similar for Austin-area children traumatized by domestic violence and other emotional situations for the past five years."

Unfortunately, the need has always exceeded the supply of bags volunteers are able to produce, she added.

"Each year as many as 3,000 children throughout Travis County are affected by domestic violence, abuse, neglect or some other circumstance that may require separation from their home and one or both parents," she said. "We can't provide bags to all the kids who may need them, but I hope we can provide enough to make a difference.

"Maybe the time will come when we won't need to fill another bag. I think that should be everyone's wish."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Below is a Spanish version of this story.

AUSTIN - Una bolsa llena de caridad y generosidad puede distraer a niños en situaciones criticas.

Para muchos niños la necesidad y desfortuna de otros niños es algunas veces desconocida. Por lo que el proyecto "Mis Cosas," coordinado por el programa 4-H CAPITAL y patrocinado por el consejo de 4-H del condado Travis, ofrece a sus jovenes participantes la oportunidad de servir a su comunidad y ayudar a otros niños en situaciones delicadas.

JoAnn Kugle, especialista en educación del programa 4H, indicó que el proyecto está formado por niños voluntarios quienes llenan las bolsas de tela con cobijas, juguetes y actividades educacionales. Luego las bolsas son entregadas, por los mismos jóvenes voluntarios, al departamento de policía de Austin. Una vez en su posesión, los policías y trabajadores sociales entregan estas bolsas a niños quienes son retirados de sus hogares en casos de negligencia o abuso. Kugle dijo que la idea de la bolsa de tela vino después de enterarse de que "los policías o/y trabajadores sociales les daban una bolsa de plástico a los niños para que recogieran sus pertenencias".

De acuerdo a la trabajadora social, Sandra Aguilar, los contenidos de la bolsa del proyecto "Mis Cosas" ha sido más que una distracción y alivio para los niños en situaciones difíciles. "Muchas veces cuando los niños están coloreando o juguando con los monitos de peluche, ellos actuan lo que han visto o lo que ha sucedido en su hogar. Así esto nos da un poco más de información sobre lo sucedido, y de lo que los niños necesitan decirnos sin tener que preguntarles. Ya que nosotros no podemos preguntarles directamente porque son niños," señaló Aguilar.

Kugle dijo que este proyecto se lleva acabo varias veces al año. "La primera entrega de bolsas se hace al principio del año escolar y otra en el segundo semestre escolar." Se aclaró que las entregas dependen de las donaciones hechas al proyecto y del número de voluntarios que se tienen para llenar las bolsas.

Se han entregado por lo menos 250 bolsas al año, pero se ha registrado una necesidad más grande de la que puede abarcar el proyecto. Kugle señaló que tan sólo en el área del Condado Travis se necesitan aproximadamente 3000 bolsas. Tal necesidad entristece tanto a coordinadores como a voluntarios, porque éste es el número de niños que se encuentran en situaciones difíciles.

Sin embargo, el proyecto reforza el sentido de responsabilidad y generosidad en los niños voluntarios dijo Violet Alexander, una de las coordinadoras del proyecto. "El proyecto los ayuda a convertise en mejores personas," añadió Alexander.

Otro beneficio de la bolsa del proyecto "Mis Cosas," es el cambio de actitud que tienen los niños en cuanto a los agentes de policía. "Muchas veces los pequeños piensan que los agentes están allí para que se porten bien, o llevarse a su papá o mamá a la carcel," dijo Aguilar. La bolsa de "Mis Cosas," les permite a los policías demostrar su lado humano y generoso. "Puedes ver como las caritas de los niños se avivan cuando el agente les entrenga las bolsas, y de repente, los niños están interesados en saber todo sobre el policía. Ya el agente no es alguien a quien temer, sino alguien que se preocupa por ellos," continuó Aguilar.

Kugle señaló que el programa ha estado en marcha por casi cinco años y se espera que éste continúe con la ayuda de voluntarios y donaciones.

El programa 4-H es una organización educacional para niños y niñas en zonas rurales y urbanas. Las prioridades de la organización son el reducir el porcentaje de deserción escolar, la integración de programas humanitarios y educacionales, y el desarrollo de aptutudes sociales en los participantes, señaló Kugle.