By Rachel Cullen ('08) Take an old piece of luggage, a paintbrush, some brightly colored paints and what do you get? If you're at Capital University, the answer is "love."
As part of a community service project held during Capital's 16th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Learning, students organized an event called "Love Luggage" to create one-of-a-kind gifts for Central Ohio children in the foster care system.
Foster children usually have very little to call their own, and often use trash bags to transport their few belongings, which can be embarrassing and potentially harmful to a child's self-esteem. Armed with some gently used hard-shell luggage and art supplies – all donated for a worthy cause – Capital students, faculty, staff and community members worked to give these children small, but practical, pieces of art to call their own.
Capital senior Loren Sobieski and her roommate, Rachel Murdock, organized the event through the Community Service and Leadership Development Office and the university's Effusion Art Club.
They plan to fill the beautifully decorated suitcases with various items before they distribute them to the foster children The plan is to have people "adopt a suitcase" to fill with needed items, including toys, art supplies and other things children will enjoy.
The students are looking to partner with different agencies in the area, such as the United Methodist Children's Home in Worthington. Once the agencies are selected, they will determine which children are in need the most for the "Love Luggage."
"I like this event for many reasons," said Loren, who brought the Love Luggage idea to Capital after seeing it done at Ohio University. "First of all, it is recycling and giving new life to old luggage typically considered junk.
"Secondly, it gives deserving children a little something more to call their own. And finally, this project builds community and awareness of the foster care system in a way where anyone can get involved, be creative and have fun, too!"
Loren and Rachel worked very hard in the weeks preceding MLK Day to get all the donations needed to put on the event. Most of the 35 suitcases and art supplies were donated by members if the Capital community and businesses in the Central Ohio area.
They plan to continue the project throughout the semester, working with the community and different agencies so that as many Columbus foster children as possible can have something to call their own
Rachel Cullen ('08) is studying organizational communication at Capital
and is a spring 2007 intern in the Public Relations and Marketing Office.