VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A local nonprofit organization in Volusia County is working to offer a helping hand to children who enter the foster care system, as well as families who welcome them.

What You Need To Know

  • According to the Florida Department of Health, there were approximately 24,245 kids per 100,000 in the foster care system in 2022.

  • Former Ormond Beach police officer Lauren Sanders founded 1 Ohana 1 Community Inc., a nonprofit organization in Ormond Beach to help children entering the foster care system and the families welcoming them.

  • The organization works with foster families who reach out directly to them, local agencies, and with the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Since it was created, they have helped over 200 kids. 

  • If you want to help this organization, you can drop off clothes, hygiene products and other items at the Ormond Beach office located at 1042 N US HWY 1, Suite 7, Ormond Beach, FL 32174. Direct donations can also be made on its website: 1ohana1communityinc.org

“Just got a phone call from a licensing agency. They said that the kids were coming in, so they’ll be going to foster homes. And in the meantime, we’re just trying to get their care packages for them. So, once they get there, we could get it to them as soon as possible. So, it’s not as scary for them,” former Ormond Beach Police Officer Lauren Sanders said.

She knows firsthand the struggles families go through when welcoming a foster kid into their home. More often, the children do not come with much, creating a challenge for them and the families who take them in.

“I always wanted to be a foster parent since I was a teenager,” Sanders said.

She has fostered 18 kids of varying ages and adopted one.

“I have the experience of being a foster parent, so I know what it’s like getting a kid. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a newborn or a teenager or a pre-teen. The first couple of days of taking a placement are like having a newborn.”

During the pandemic, she struggled to find items for the kids and decided to start clearance shopping and finding good deals.

“It overtook my house. So, then I decided that I was going to go further with it and use my business degree and make it into a nonprofit,” Sanders said.

In 2021, she founded 1 Ohana 1 Community Inc., a nonprofit organization in Ormond Beach to help children entering the foster care system and the families welcoming them.

“Ohana means family, and family means nobody is left behind or forgotten.”

Sanders says she has always loved the famous quote from Disney’s Lilo & Stitch movie and how they made family into from what they had. That’s how she decided on the name, meaning the organization and the community will come together for the foster families and the children that need them.

But when she started the organization, she faced a lot of challenges. “We were told that there were already enough foster care resources, and that we weren’t welcomed. And I took that as we are welcome. They need us and I’m going to prove you wrong (…) Because if I could tell anybody anything, there’s not enough support for these kids. There never will be,” Sanders said.

Data from the Florida Department of Health shows there were approximately 24,245 kids per 100,000 in the foster care system in 2022.

“A lot of people think that there’s a lot of support for the kiddos and although there should be, it’s not always the best support and you have to have the heart to be able to care for these kids,” Sanders said.

Sanders works with foster families who reach out directly to them, local agencies, and with the Department of Children and Families (DCF). “We are assisting DCF (…) They have a mom who’s struggling. So, they’re trying to keep the kids out of the system. And she needed some warm clothes for the kids,” Sanders said.

She puts together care packages that include clothes, hygiene products, toys, books, food and blankets for kids ages zero to seventeen. “We just keep in mind that the children are going through a lot, so I always start with the comfort items (…) the teddy bears, the blankets, the pillowcases, things like that, that are comforting — that all these organizations have made for us to give,” Sanders said.

Every single care package is made differently, each containing 5 to 7 days’ worth of clothes.

“A lot of times they’ll be able to tell us like their favorite color and everything. So obviously, if their favorite color is pink, we want to try to get more pink,” Sanders said.

Since 1 Ohana 1 Community was founded, the organization has helped more than 200 kids.

“Not enough because I know that there are kids that we haven’t helped. We need more people to contact us, the agencies, the foster homes, so we could do more,” Sanders said.

Once the kids receive the care packages and families share their reactions, Sanders says it is all worth it.

“The kids are just happy, smiling. They’re like, that’s for me. They feel like it’s Christmas and to make a kid feel like Christmas during a traumatic time, I mean, that’s what this is here for,” Sanders said.

If you want to help this organization, you can drop off clothes, hygiene products and other items at the Ormond Beach office located at 1042 N US HWY 1, Suite 7, Ormond Beach, FL 32174. Direct donations can also be made on its website: 1ohana1communityinc.org