Nonprofit creates Geaux Bags for foster care children, celebrates 10-year anniversary

BOSSIER CITY, La. (KSLA) - Hundreds of people gathered Thursday to celebrate Geaux 4 Kids’ 10-year anniversary.

On May 4, a luncheon was held at East Ridge Country Club. Attendees enjoyed guest speakers, a catered meal and live music.

The Geaux 4 Kids signature program, Project Geaux Bags, has assisted with more than 15,000 children in crisis in Louisiana. The bags are distributed to children entering foster care within the initial 48-hour period to allow foster parents to be able to focus more on the child’s well-being. The bags contain many helpful everyday items to ease the emergency transition of displaced children.

“I saw firsthand children who did not have toothbrush. I saw firsthand children that did not have luggage, who placed their clothes in a garbage bag before they moved. And so having a high-quality bag, being able to move with dignity, being able to have their own toothbrush, means so much to these children,” said Dr. Dana Hunter, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Human Trafficking.

“[The bags] are so important. A lot of times, we receive children that come straight from their homes with the shirts on their backs. Sometimes what they bring may not be clean, and so the Geaux Bags have all the needed essentials for their first night in foster care and a comfort item, so they have their own little comfort in a stranger’s home,” said Amanda Law, a foster parent.

The Geaux Bags cost around $150 each, creating a $2.5 million impact for children across Louisiana.

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