On July 24, 2024, Fostering Kindness, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting foster children, hosted a special event to celebrate a significant milestone—a generous $25,000 donation from Aptar and Noble. The event, held to honor the organization’s success and future goals, marked an exciting turning point in its mission to provide comfort and security to foster children during challenging transitions. This milestone was achieved with Fostering Kindness grant support playing a crucial role.
The Significance of the $25,000 Grant
Alison Spalding, Founder and CEO of Fostering Kindness, took the stage to express her deep gratitude for the grant. “This is more than just funding,” Spalding began. “It is a testament to what we can achieve when we come together for a shared cause.” She emphasized how the grant would directly impact the lives of the children they serve.
Fostering Kindness focuses on providing foster children with Comfort Bags filled with essential items like nightlights, blankets, journals, and toiletries. These bags are designed to bring comfort to children during one of the most unsettling times in their lives—being placed in foster care. “These Comfort Bags aren’t just objects,” Spalding said. “They represent care, safety, and stability when children need it most.”
The $25,000 grant will allow the organization to expand these efforts, particularly in underserved rural areas. By reaching more children, Fostering Kindness aims to ensure that every foster child has access to the emotional support and practical tools they need during difficult transitions.
From Local to Regional: The Growth of Fostering Kindness
Fostering Kindness began in 2021 as a small, local initiative aimed at giving Christmas gifts to foster teens. However, as the need for foster care support became more apparent, the organization quickly grew into a multi-regional program. Today, Fostering Kindness provides year-round services, including birthday celebrations for children in foster care, organized outings for group homes, and of course, the distribution of their signature Comfort Bags.
The organization’s growth has not only been in size but also in impact. Over the last three years, they have delivered over 2,000 Comfort Bags to children across multiple states. The bags, which are filled with comforting and practical items, serve as a small but meaningful gesture of support. “When a child opens one of our Comfort Bags, they know that someone out there cares for them, even if they’re feeling alone,” Spalding shared.
Galactic Medallion: A Partnership That Brings Hope
A pivotal moment in the event was when Elizabeth Schneider, Vice President of Fostering Kindness and CEO of Galactic Medallion, spoke about her role in both organizations. Galactic Medallion, known for its My Special Place in Space program, has partnered with Fostering Kindness to offer foster teens unique opportunities tied to space exploration and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) education.
“Fostering Kindness gives comfort, and Galactic Medallion offers hope,” Schneider explained. “Through our partnership, we aim to show foster youth that there’s more out there than their current circumstances—there’s a whole universe of possibilities.”
Schneider’s My Special Place in Space program has already allowed foster teens to visit NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where they met astronauts, explored space careers, and gained insight into the STEAM fields. “Seeing their faces light up when they meet an astronaut or learn about a career in space is priceless,” Schneider shared. “It’s moments like these that make all the hard work worth it.”
Volunteers Play a Key Role in Success
Volunteers from Noble and Fostering Kindness came together during the event to assemble hygiene kits for foster children. These kits contained essential items like toiletries, blankets, and nightlights. Additionally, Noble employees donated 35 brand-new backpacks, further adding to the supplies that Fostering Kindness regularly distributes.
Watching the volunteers work together was a highlight of the event for Spalding. “The kindness and dedication in this room are truly inspiring,” she said. “Each person here is making a profound difference in the lives of these children.”
The engagement of volunteers plays an essential role in ensuring Fostering Kindness reaches as many children as possible. Spalding believes that involving local communities and businesses in their mission has been crucial to the nonprofit’s rapid growth.
Expanding into Rural Communities
One of the most exciting parts of Fostering Kindness’ future plans is its expansion into rural areas, where foster care services are often limited. “Many children in rural regions lack access to the same resources as those in urban areas,” Spalding explained. “We’re committed to changing that.”
In these underserved areas, foster children often face more significant challenges due to isolation and fewer available services. With the new grant, Fostering Kindness plans to establish a presence in these regions, ensuring every child, regardless of location, can receive the support they deserve.
Providing Support to Foster Parents
Beyond helping children, Fostering Kindness also aims to provide much-needed resources to foster parents. “Foster parents play an incredible role, but they need support too,” Spalding acknowledged. The nonprofit plans to expand its educational offerings, providing foster families with resources that can help them navigate the emotional and practical challenges of foster care.
Foster parents often face difficulties in finding adequate support systems, and this new initiative will ensure they are better equipped to provide the stable homes that foster children need to thrive.
Galactic Medallion’s Commitment to Foster Youth
In addition to Fostering Kindness’ plans for expansion, Elizabeth Schneider expressed her enthusiasm for the future of Galactic Medallion‘s partnership with the nonprofit. “We’re just getting started,” she said. “Our goal is to offer even more opportunities to foster youth, showing them that a future in space, or any STEAM field, is within their reach.”
Galactic Medallion plans to expand the My Special Place in Space program to include more immersive experiences for foster teens, ranging from mentorship programs to additional visits to space centers around the country.
A Day of Celebration and Future Plans
The July 24 event marked not only the celebration of a generous donation but also a day filled with hope for the future. “This work is our purpose,” Spalding said, reflecting on the day. “The challenges are real, but the smiles we see from the children we help remind us why we do this.”
Elizabeth Schneider echoed this sentiment, saying, “We want these children to know their futures are bright and filled with endless possibilities.”
The $25,000 donation from Aptar and Noble is just the beginning of a new chapter for Fostering Kindness and its partnership with Galactic Medallion. Together, these organizations will continue to make a lasting difference in the lives of foster children, offering them both comfort and hope as they navigate difficult transitions.
