Cuddle Outreach Ministry

“The morning was like every other morning. No breakfast, no hugs, same clothes as yesterday to wear, and shoved out the door again. It didn’t end that way. Ms. Johnson must have told someone about the bruises because when I got to school a man was there to pick me up. He took me to a place called DES, at least that’s what was on the outside of the building. The man was nice but he asked a lot of questions I’m not supposed to answer. I’m gonna “get it” when I get home.”

The scenario is the same for all 14,000 children in CPS care. They all had a beginning, they all went to a DES office, they were all frightened, confused, and scared they were going to be in trouble. Most of those 14,000 will never go home. They didn’t bring anything with them and they won’t be able to get any of their things. So they start a life with what they are wearing, and that’s all. But then C.U.D.D.L.E. Outreach steps in by providing CPS offices, group homes, shelters, and crisis centers with a C.U.D.D.L.E. Wellness Kit, at a time when the children feel alone and scared. This Kit consists of: a handmade twin sized quilt embroidered with Jesus Loves You on the back, a washcloth bag filled with toiletries (soap, lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, and comb), a stuffed animal and a children's illustrated Bible, all fitting into a large handmade bag. The children encounter Jesus when they desperately need Him. He meets them where
they are. From the moment they receive the quilt there is a bonding that happens with them and the quilts. One agent from CPS asked us to never stop making the Wellness Kits. She said "we had no idea the extent of the effect this has
on the children. It answers an immediate need." Jesus and the quilts reach past the problems and a relationship is begun. Seeds of hope and a future are planted.

Imagine starting everyday aware that you may not be sleeping in the bed you left this morning and may find yourself in yet another stranger’s house… Imagine not
living with anyone who knows you… Imagine life alone at the age of 2, 6, 10, or 16 with nothing that is yours. Over one million children in the United States, over 14,000 in Arizona, face this realization every morning.

A two year old little girl was taken from a life threatening situation with only the clothes she was wearing. She was given a C.U.D.D.L.E. “Wellness Kit” when she arrived at the DES center in Flagstaff, Arizona. She took her new things
with her to a foster home, clinging to them as tightly as she could. The foster mom told us when the little girl takes a bath he C.U.D.D.L.E. Wellness Kit must lay right by the tub so she can see it. When she goes to bed, she holds the bag
in one little hand and the quilt is wrapped around her. She wants to be prepared in case anyone comes to get her and take her away again. So she holds tight to what now belongs to her.

Teresa entered the Arizona foster-care system at age 12. She bounced from group homes to foster homes to
detention centers for six years. She was never returned to her mother and was never adopted by a family. On her 18th birthday, she left the system by aging out of it. Social workers, youth advocates and state administrators agree that youths like Teresa, who go directly from foster care into adulthood, are perfectly prepared to fail miserably. They are less likely to have an education and more likely to be homeless or incarcerated. But, experts agree, there is one simple way to save these young adults. When Teresa turned 18, her education was wanting. Her social skills were deficient. She didn't drive, couldn't trust and wouldn't ask for help. But Teresa, now 20, might make it. Today, she is a student with plans to become a nurse. She has a car and a home and chance for a future. She is on her way because one person decided to care for her. A mentor, she said, saved her. One person can make a difference; you can be that one person and change the life of any one of the 14,000 children here in Arizona immediately.