"Tea and Shop" Party for Local Foster Girls Held in Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Aug. 1, 2024 - PRLog -- Clearwater, FL – On Saturday, July 27th 2024, the Clearwater Community Volunteers (CCV) Center hosted foster girls from the McCrae House for a tea party, where they shopped through racks of donated clothing and hygiene items such as dresses, shoes, makeup, hair stylers and more.

Each girl was given a tote bag to fill up with whatever items they wanted. Once the bags were full, the girls sat down for afternoon tea and scones. For many of them, this was the first tea party they had ever been to. As the day was meant for them to be treated like royalty, they were served their tea by volunteers of the CCV Center.

A representative from the McCrae House commented, "Running a foster group home is not a walk in the park. We focus on serving girls, and when they come to us, we want to be able to give them exactly what they need. Donations from the community are vital to the girls' well-being here."

A 2022 report shows that in Pinellas County, 690 children were taken into foster care in one year. Some are taken in the middle of the night with a trash bag filled with their personal items, and sent to sleep somewhere unknown to them. Children can be removed from their homes for many reasons, such as physical abuse, neglect and parental drug and alcohol abuse. The homes that they are taken into don't always have the resources necessary to provide them with what they need, which further bolsters the emotional trauma of the child.

"My volunteers and I are happy to know that the girls got what they needed and wanted at this event," said Tracy Hawkins, manager of the CCV Center. "The McCrae House is a great organization and we are proud to support them in their mission of helping foster youth. As Humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard said, 'A community that pulls together can make a better society for all.'"

About the Clearwater Community Volunteers Center:

The Clearwater Community Volunteers Center, established by the Church of Scientology in 2018, is a home for the benefit of all Tampa Bay nonprofit organizations. Built on the success of the Clearwater Community Volunteers, who host the signature Winter Wonderland and Easter Egg Hunt in Clearwater, the Center was created to serve the needs of local nonprofits. The Center is fully equipped to host meetings, seminars, events and gatherings, all at no cost to the nonprofit community. Please email CCVcenter@ccvfl.org for more information about the Center and its facilities.