When Rob and his husband, Reece Scheer, started talking about adopting, they discovered that foster-to-adopt was their best option. With their now-four children, they work to instill solid values of love and caring. At first that meant working on toy drives for children at the holidays. Then realizing that their efforts were largely forgotten by December 26, they changed focus and Comfort Cases was born. “As people we have to be doers,” says Rob. “Can you imagine what the world would be like if all of us were doers? You can make a big difference with just a little effort. Let’s be doers” When a child enters the foster care system, 90% of the time from the back of a police cruiser, the child’s meager belongings are typically stuffed in a trash bag and that’s how the child arrives at the foster home, and how they move from one foster home to another (The average number of moves per child is seven homes). That was Rob’s experience as well.
BY RICK MUNDY
"Don't call us foster children... And don't make us carry a trash bag."
W
e are often reminded: you never know what others are going through. For children living within the foster care system, this is especially true because they are often unnoticed. Rob Scheer, co-founder of Comfort Cases, says these children are sometimes almost “invisible…disposable.” He should know because he himself was in the system as a child.
Attending high school, Rob knew one thing—if he was to make anything of himself, he needed to get an education so he read everything he could get his hands on. There was no guidance counselor showing him the way in spite of being an A/B student. When he graduated, he joined the military— just to survive. “I needed a roof over my head, and food,” Scheer admits. “Hunger is something I can never forget.” He persevered after the service, working his way up in banking.
Donations need to be counted and sorted upon arrival
98
TYSONS v JULY // AUGUST 2018
The family started a campaign to create something better, something that showed that these children were valued. It would be a backpack with some essential items along with personal items. Starting the effort in Montgomery County, they planned to make about 200 Comfort Cases a year. However, after only 4 ½ years, the 98%-volunteer Comfort Cases team has shipped 35,000 packages to 34 states, plus D.C. and Puerto Rico. Most days, several volunteers arrive at the ground floor of a Rockville office building to receive donations, count, inspect, sort, pack, and ship Comfort Cases to social service agencies across the country. Volunteers work days, sometimes weeknights or weekends, and schools will often do volunteer work as a school project. Donations have come from every state in the U.S. and every continent except Antarctica. There are treasured items in each case. In addition to items like soap, shampoo, and other necessities, there is a book. As Rob relates, ”A book is meant to be loved in the mind, loved in the heart, and then passed on. It can also offer a great escape sometimes.” There are activity items—a coloring book and crayons for the young children, a journal with pens and pencils for older children. This is a favorite of many children because it gives them a chance to express themselves, write their ideas, illustrations, or music. Pajamas make it into every case, with a tag, and wrapped with ribbon. Why a tag? Because one of the Scheers’ own children received PJ’s with a tag, smiled, and said, “I’ve never had a new nightgown before.” The ribbon reminds them that it is a gift to someone special. And every case must have a stuffed animal because
VIVATYSONS.COM