A program that benefits the foster children of Liberty County got a late Christmas present from the Light Up Liberty contest on Wednesday, Jan. 12.
Light Up Liberty is an annual downtown holiday lighting initiative sponsored by The Health Fix, Bluebonnet News, Meadow Noyer Allstate, Pack, Ship & Copy, Liberty County Chamber of Commerce and Precision Lawns. Each participating business in the lighting contest pays a small entry fee that goes toward the Liberty County CPS Rainbow Room.
The Rainbow Room provides foster children with the basic clothing, diapers, school supplies and hygiene items they need after they are removed from their homes and placed in foster care.
The check was presented to Liberty County Child Welfare Board President Cyndie Abshire and Board Member Becky Dearmore by the contest organizers at K3 Designs, the business owned by Kennedy Rives that won the lighting contest.
Abshire said the money raised will be put to good use.
“On behalf of the CPS board, we are so grateful for the donation. We will use these funds to help the children throughout the year,” Abshire said.
At present, there are 120 children in foster care in Liberty County. With roughly a dozen foster homes in the county, this means that many of these children must be placed at homes outside the county.
“The objective for the agency is to place children with eligible relatives who have passed background checks,” Abshire said.
When that fails, the children must be placed elsewhere until they can be returned home or placed in a more permanent home.
Participating businesses in this year’s Light Up Liberty County were K3 Designs, Heritage Market, Sass’n It Up, Sullins & Johnston Law Firm, Liberty Med Spa and Texas First Bank.