Adams County Children and Youth Agency
Gives Foster Children Suitcases
Adams County, PA - The Adams County Children and Youth Services (ACCYS) serves hundreds of children each year who are abused or neglected. Many of them must leave their families to go into shelters or foster care. Often these children leave their homes with only a garbage bag to hold their clothes and favorite toys. Four years ago, Peter Vriens, Executive Director of ACCYS, decided that none of the children in his care were going to have to enter into a temporary living situation with all of their earthly possessions in a trash bag. To help restore dignity to these traumatized children, Vriens started a campaign to ensure that each child at least had a suitcase or bag to call their own.
In response to the call for bags, AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan's employees recently donated more than 60 new and slightly used suitcases and bags to ACCYS. The timing of the donation was key; according to Vriens the agency's stock of bags was nearly depleted.
"The positive impact this program is having can be seen on the children's faces as they pick out a bag of their very own," said Vriens.
AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan is a Medical Assistance managed care plan currently serving more than 52,000 Medical Assistance recipients in the ten-county Lehigh/Capital Area (Adams, Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton, Perry, and York Counties). AmeriHealth Mercy also serves members in Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties.
The need for bags is ongoing. If you would like to donate a new or slightly used suitcase or bag, please contact the Adams County Children and Youth Services at 717-337-0110.
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