KENNEWICK, Wash. – A local teenager is making a difference for foster children with a heartfelt project.
Thirteen-year-old Rhylinn Simmons, who has firsthand experience in the foster system, is helping foster kids transition more smoothly between homes. At just six years old, Rhylinn moved into her third foster home, and she knows how challenging it can be to pack up one’s life on short notice.
“Make them feel like they are safe and that they are cared about and cared for, and to not lose their dignity,” Rhylinn said.
With the creation of “Dignity Duffel Bags,” Rhylinn aims to provide foster children with essentials that can ease their transition. The bags include hygiene products like hairbrushes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, stuffed animals, pajamas, two notebooks, and socks.
“We’re going to have hygiene products like hairbrushes, toothpaste, toothbrushes, stuffed animals, pajamas, two notebooks, socks, and just a bunch of things that will hopefully make a big impact,” Rhylinn said.
Rhylinn’s mission is personal.
“I have gotten bullied a lot for being different and being adopted and having two moms and people don’t know that I’m still treated like a normal foster kid; getting treated for something different that you cannot control is not really that fair,” she said.
Originally conceived as a platform for a national dance pageant, Rhylinn intends to continue her work with the Dignity Duffel Bags well into the future. She expressed her commitment.
“That’s something that I love and something that I know is going to make an impact…So I can be known for how caring I am to people that I have gone through the same experience as people I’m giving back to,” she said.
For those interested in supporting Rhylinn and her project, visit her Amazon Wishlist.
