12 Days of GIVEAWAYS Day 2 – Charity Begins at Home

Agent Mystery Case | IN THE SACK | 12 Days of giveaways | Day 2 | Charity begins at home

IN THE SACK this silly season with Agent Mystery Case

 

Our twelve days of giveaways is all about surviving the silly season one blog post & giveaway at a time. This year, I’ve taken the unusual (for me) approach and accepted offers for sponsored prizes for our giveaway. Mainly so I can adopt more of a charity begins at home approach to giving and for me that means supporting a worthwhile local charity.

 

Rest assured, all brands included in our giveaway lineup are ones I love and have supported, one way or another throughout the year. By accepting gifted prizes this year, it means more funds for my chosen charity.

 

 Charity begins at home | 12 days of giveaways IN THE SACK with Agent Mystery Case

 

 

Cases4Kids is my chosen charity this year.  A wonderful initiative founded by local foster parent and in my eyes super mum Jules from Sensi Kids and Zippy Zappy Life. A local mother of up to 12 on the weekends, when Jules puts her hands up to helping with the respite care side of fostering as well as her existing parenting and foster care commitments.

 

I can’t begin to describe what a wonderful nurturing woman Jules is and how gorgeous her family are. A family that consists of Jules, hubby and their three older children aged 20, 17 and 15. Sadly there was a fourth child who they lost to heart surgery several years ago aged just 5.

 

These days, Jules and her family also have formal guardianship of an 8 year old, who spent six years as a foster child, as well as four other foster children who are siblings in their care until they turn 18. They have also been fostering a gorgeous little newborn for the last few months on a short term arrangement.

 

Having said all that Jule’s story is really not mine to tell but Cases4Kids is definitely something I’m looking forward to sharing and getting behind in a big way.

 

Jules started Cases4Kids when a foster child arrived in her care with their belongings in a garbage bag. It’s an initiative that will hopefully see all children coming into foster care in Western Australia with their own suitcases.

 

Cases4Kids Jules Seet Foster Care

 

 

 

 

Did you know that children coming into foster care or moving care homes are still being moved with their precious few belongings thrown into a garbage bag or similar.  I discovered this when I collected an 8 year old from the welfare office earlier this year and I was handed a black bag with his clothing in.

How demeaning for the child and the truth is there is just not enough funds to deal with the issue and every department is already overloaded with other issues.  We can argue about whose responsibility it is and meantime the kids still lack. 

Therefore the buck stops with me.

I started collecting donations this year and using the money to purchase suitcases on wheels that can easily be moved by the child.

A case to call their own.  

A case costs as little as $25.

100% of the money is used for this purpose.

Time and fuel delivering the cases is my own.

Please help me grow this venture and together let’s put an end to garbage bag kids and give these awesome kids the dignity they deserve.

Jules

 

 

I’m personally looking forward to donating $50 to Cases4Kids initially and an extra $1 for everyone that leaves a comment below (up to $100). I’m also in talks with MYER to organise a Christmas bear to be included in a handful of cases this Christmas.

 

Agent Mystery Case | IN THE SACK | 12 Days of giveaways | Day 2 | Charity begins at home

 

 DONATE NOW!!

Every donation counts! To encourage you all to get behind this worthwhile cause, so we can make sure every child coming into or moving care homes doesn’t need to cart their belongings in garbage bags, I’m also putting a mystery prize up for grabs.

 

Every person that leaves a donation this December is in the draw for a mystery prize. Every person that leaves a comment below will have $1 donated on their behalf and will be included in the draw for a second mystery prize.

 

GIVEAWAY RUNDOWN

 

Two mystery prizes up for grabs:

 

Mystery Prize 1:

DONATE to Cases4Kids before December 18 to be in the draw for a mystery prize.

 

Mystery Prize 2:

Leave a comment letting me know what ‘charity begins at home’ means to you! I will donate a further $1 for each individual person that comments and you will be in the draw for our second mystery prize.

 

There is no requirement to share today’s giveaway but I would really appreciate your help in spreading the worth casing charity word for Cases4Kids. For more information and to donate head HERE.

 

Entries Close: Dec 18 (11.59pm Perth time)

Not associated with Facebook or any third party

Local donations of suitcases are also welcome.

About Mystery Case 462 Articles
Follow Raychael aka Mystery Case on her mystery adventures 'casing' people, products and places to bring you her worth casing favourites.

51 Comments

  1. Such a worthy cause, and Jules is an amazingly gorgeous woman to boot. Charity does begin at home for me, and looking after my own brood to the best of my ability is important, but so too is reaching out to help others.

  2. I’ll be making a donation and sharing too. Jules is an inspiration and I can’t even imagine the difference having their own suitcase will make to these kids. Sometimes
    We have to take a step back and realise just how lucky our own children are. Well done on backing this Raychel.

    • Thanks Vicki. Even before I met Jules, I just knew this was the right charity to get behind this year and next. I still can’t believe Jules has the time for this, two blogs and everything she achieves on the home and foster parent front. An amazing woman.

  3. The world is so lucky to have such incredible people out there doing the stuff many can or would not. You also have a heart of gold in your own mystery case !!

  4. What a fabulous initiative! Happy to donate. (Our donation is in Rodney’s name.)
    Charity really does begin at home with Rodney now working full time rescuing children worldwide out of poverty through Compassion. We’ve sponsored children from third world countries for our entire marriage. We haven’t always had a lot ourselves, but those children have nothing. It’s the least we can do.

  5. This is a great, simple idea. Foster carers are real heroes and we have long supported foster care in China where our kids are adopted from but also programs like Pyjama Foundation (my Mum is a pyjama angel) that support kids in foster care here. I’ve just done a blog post on the importance of charity this Christmas – I was ‘fortunate’ to have a windfall, in that a tax fine was remitted back to me by the ATO, so I thought if the taxman can be ‘generous’, so can I.

  6. Such a small idea, but such a huge impact. Well done to her for making it happen, and making a big difference to many little lives. #teamIBOT

    • I know, it might seem like a small idea but you are right it will have a huge impact. I know and appreciate there is a lot of work in trying to pull something like this off, especially when Jules already has so much going on.

  7. I have always practiced what I preached – it is no good simply teaching your family to give, throughout my ‘childrens’ life they have witnessed me in many various volunteer positions, and part of their pocket money always had to be put aside for the chosen charity for the year, now that they are adults with their own children, I still volunteer at least 3 days a week, and they (my adult children) give back in the same way, and their children now ‘sacrifice’ some of the pocket money for charities

    • I hear you and Jules is a great example of this. As a family we are always looking for ways to give back that have the most impact. Well done on continuing your volunteering efforts Cheryl, I wish I had the time to do more.

  8. What a wonderful idea, so sad to think of these children and the huge difference such a small thing can make. We always encourage our girls to think of others less fortunate at this time of year especially.

    • I believe there is an updated post on Sensi Kids blog that highlights just how many kids entered foster care this time last year. Really hoping as many people as possible can get behind this worthwhile cause and it can eventually become a national initiative.

  9. Thanks for opening my eyes to Jule’s story – what a wonderful woman. Charity starts at home to me means that you need to care for and protect those in your inner circle first, before the faceless majority.

  10. My husband and I have also sponsored children through World Vision for 27yrs.
    I also know Jules mission is so important. I remember packing a backpack jammed full for a little care I had in foster care because I knew she wouldn’t be returning.
    Charity begins at home in teaching your children compassion for others who face extraordinary challenges.

    • I’ve received word this week, after sharing Cases4Kids that a local book club are not only donating cases but filling them with books and gifts. I’m hoping to collect and deliver to Jules this week.

  11. Oh, your story about kids lugging garbage bags around with the processions breaks my heart. What a beautiful cause. Thank you for supporting it and creating awareness.
    Charity at home means kindness to me and that can be delivered on so many levels. Perhaps just a smile at a stranger who needs it, making someone soup when they’re unwell, donating a present to the Kmart Christmas Wishing Tree. It’s so easy to say no and shut off to the needs of the world but I want to teach my children to have an open heart and offer kindness always.

    • I’ve only just shared the initiative and the story behind it with my three girls who are all looking to donate pocket money. Creating awareness is the least I can do for Jules who has already done so much.

  12. Wow – what an amazing woman and a lovely charity – Miss 8 started getting pocket money last year $5 a week but she pops 50cents away to donate to charity at Christmas time – she hasn’t chosen this years charity I think I’ll talk to her about this one (it is a great way to introduce difficult topics with your kids and help them understand how lucky they really are – we have less than her friends and extended family but so much more than so many others in this wold!)

  13. We donate our unwanted towels and clothes to lifeline. Its always hard to decide where to offer your help but I do what I can when I can. My sons school participates in many different charities. We have just finished the food bank drive and last month we sent shoeboxes full of gifts overseas to children without the means to receive anything. I am touched by people that can offer their homes to children who need some stability and to give them love, respect and warmth. Thanks for highlighting Raycheal.

  14. Every year we donate a bag of our clothes from the previous year to Good Sammy’s. Charity at home – to me it means giving – regardless of what it is someone needs. This could be giving a hand, an ear or something else they need.

  15. Charity begins at home – taking good care of my family so that we can in turn help others to the best of our ability.

    I think this is a great thing you are doing, what a very worthy cause. So glad to have learnt more about Jules and Cases4Kids. They definitely have my support.

    • Thanks Donna, I ended up donating $100 today. There is a sale on at Kmart this week with suitcases down to just $20, so that means five more suitcases. Still waiting to hear back from Myer regarding the Teddy Bears but at this stage I think suitcases are more important.

  16. Charity begins at home – it begins with making sure everyone in our house is well cared for and loved. Then we reuse, recycle and regift (not actually regift, but donate to charity) those things we don’t need.

  17. Ooh, another one I just remembered (does this count as an extra dollar?!) – we host a mtoddler music group and for our Christmas break-up next week every child is bringing a present to wrap and place under the tree. I’m going to then take them all along to put under the Kmart Wishing Tree.

  18. I love reading about people like Jules. It’s a nice reminder that their ARE amazing and completely selfless people out there. “charity begins at home’, for me means even from the comfort of your own home, you can make a difference. It can be as simple as giving your time or a warm bed or home-cooked meal to someone in need, or donating unused or outgrown items to charity. Also, teaching your kids about charity and giving can begin at home.

  19. I had no idea about this issue or charity and gosh it’s so close to home. We do the Kmart wishing tree each year. Charity begins at home, to me, means looking after your family first.

Leave a Reply to Mystery Case Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.