Show Our Love Stories & Talking Points
These stories are to help you present Show Our Love to others. You don’t have to use all of them. Pick the one(s) that seem most helpful to you.
How Show Our Love Began
We had been teaching the concept of empathy in CiViL. As we talked, the girls started telling about the night they were taken away from their families. They had only five minutes to fill a garbage bag with their possessions, so they didn’t remember everything. If you have to go to school without having been able to brush your teeth or use deodorant, it’s really scary. The first time somebody might notice some smell, the fear is that, “Oh my goodness, it’s me!” Then one of the girls said, “You know what we ought to do? We ought to provide care packages for those students!” Other girls chimed in, “Nobody has to be embarrassed. We can find careful ways of providing them to the students who might need them.” And it all started with one group at one school. It was student inspired, conceived, and implemented.
Talking Points
l A CiViL Group was talking about empathy — caring about how others feel.
l Some of them told about their experience in the foster care system.
l They were taken away from home with only five minutes to fill a garbage bag with their possessions.
l They didn’t have personal care items like toothbrushes and deodorant.
l Smelling bad brings on embarrassment and bullying.
l They decided to collect personal items to give to students who might need them.
The Problem
Imagine for a moment that you are eight years old, and you have been handed a trash bag and told, “You can only take the stuff with you that fits in this trash bag.” Your brain attempts to process what’s going on, but all it can do is tell your eyes to cry. Who is this person? Why am I leaving my home? Where am I going? These are kids who have a favorite teddy bear. They are teenagers who just want to fit in at school. They are kids who have been given five minutes to pack up everything they own. They now find themselves waking up in a strangers house. And they don’t even have a toothbrush.
Talking Points
l Imagine you are an eight year old is being removed from their home.
l You can only take what will fit in a trash bag.
l You are scared, upset and confused.
l As you are crying, you pack a few things, but not everything you need.
l Later you find that you forgot your toothbrush.
Maya’s Story
I was in foster care when I was in middle school. During that time I didn’t have some of the necessary items that I needed. So I would go to school, and people would make fun of me.
Talking Points
l Maya was in foster care during middle school.
l She didn’t have some of the necessary personal care items she needed.
l People at school made fun of her.
Jessica’s Story
In the foster care system I was in thirteen different group homes. When you’re taken from your family, you don’t go with anything. You leave with, at most, a stuffed animal. So you don’t have anything. Hygiene is the main thing people are going to get bullied for. You stink, you get bullied. So to help prevent that, we decided to make packages filled with personal care products. When you get that care package, it feels like you’re home. It feels like somebody cares.
Talking Points
l Jessica was in thirteen different group homes.
l After being taken from her family, she didn’t have anything.
l Personal hygiene is the main thing people get bullied for at school.
l Later on she decided to collect personal care products for students like her.
l She says, “When you get a care pack, it feels like home, like someone cares.”
Seth’s Story
When I was young I lived with my mom. She was an addict, and it got to the point where she was choosing drugs and alcohol over our house. So I was homeless. Shampoo and deodorant seem like little things, but, having gone through what I went through, I know they can be bigger than people realize. If I can help others out by providing those things, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Talking Points
l Seth was homeless because his mother was an addict.
l He didn’t have little things like shampoo and deodorant.
l They seem like little things until you don’t have them.
l Now he wants to help by collecting those things for others.
Other Stories
Show Our Love doesn’t just provide care packs to kids in foster or homeless situations. They were available to students who’s family members lost work during the pandemic. They will be made available to refugees from the war in Ukraine and to any other people who need them.
Talking Points
As well as going to foster and homeless people, Show Our Love care packs can go to
l Students whose families are jobless
l War refugees
l Anyone else in need of them.
Asking
My CiViL Group is collecting personal care items for people who need them.
Would you be willing to
Donate new items?
[tooth brushes, tooth paste, dental floss, antiperspirant/deodorant, shampoo & conditioner, leave-in conditioner, nail care items, body wash/soap, hand/body lotion, wide toothed combs & brushes, lip balm & lip gloss, tampons/pads/panti-liners, stuffed animals, socks. All items must be new. No jumbo or tiny sizes, please.]
OR
Donate money to buy those items? [https://tyrs.org/about/civil-events/]
Your donation is tax deductible. You will receive a thank-you note and receipt . ALL proceeds go directly to the purchase of personal care items for people in need.
OR
Place a collection box
l In your workplace or organization and
l Tell people about Show Our Love