Care Drive 2025: Creating Lasting Change
For the past four years, Susan’s Kids has hosted an annual drive each May during National Foster Care Month, collecting practical and personal items for youth within the Kansas foster care system. The original focus was on something heartbreakingly simple: ensuring that children in transition didn’t have to carry their belongings in trash bags. What seemed like a small gesture quickly resonated with communities across the state—and turned into something much deeper. This year marked a turning point in the mission that began with Susan’s Kids Bag Drive, now evolved and rebranded into something much bigger—the Care Drive.
“This event and day is about community,” said organizers. “About the ability for all of us to step up and do what is right when it matters most.”
EmberHope Team Nickaila Sandate, Britt English, Tamber Rouse, Autumn Huerter, and Shannon Reed.
In May 2025, that sense of purpose led to a milestone moment. Susan’s Kids joined forces with EmberHope to relaunch the effort under a new name—the Care Drive—and to scale the mission like never before. The two organizations brought in five child welfare agencies/organizations from across Kansas: Hope Fostered, FosterICT, St. Francis Ministries, and DCCCA, all united under one common goal—to ensure Kansas’ foster children are met with care, compassion, and dignity.
“This partnership just felt right,” shared Britt English, Associate Director of Marketing for EmberHope and the lead coordinator for this year’s expanded drive. “Susan’s Kids led the Bag Drive in years past, and EmberHope was actually the recipient last year. This time, we joined forces and created something far more impactful—not just in what we collected, but in how we came together as a community.”
Together, they gathered and distributed over 1,300 essential items—including bags, shoes, blankets, and other comfort items often desperately needed during transitions in care. Though the final count was slightly lower than last year, English emphasized that the real impact was joining forces to create lasting change.
The collection process culminated in a celebration event where representatives from each agency gathered to pick up their donations and reflect on the shared success of the effort. Moments like this are rare…they just don’t typically happen was overheard more than once during the event. One especially meaningful moment stood out for English: during agency pickup day, she noticed Jason, the President of Hope Fostered, working alone to load up his organization’s items.
Jason Geesaman of Hope Fostered
“Every other group had at least two or three people helping,” English recalled. “But Jason was doing it solo. When the other teams finished, they didn’t just leave—they walked over and helped him pack up. No one had to ask. That moment captured everything this drive is about. We may come from different agencies, but we serve the same children. And when you have more than you need, you build a longer table—not a higher fence.”
That table, it turns out, is still growing.
The Care Drive has become more than an annual collection—it’s become a movement. One that reflects the best of what communities can do when they unite for a shared cause. One that continues to raise awareness during National Foster Care Month and beyond. And one that, according to English, is just getting started.
“My favorite part? Honestly, seeing it all come together,” she said. “The slow start made the finish even more meaningful. Matching and sorting hundreds of pairs of shoes in the middle of the Kansas summer heat isn’t easy—but every moment was worth it. The blisters on our hands are a reminder of just how much Kansas cares about its kids.”
