ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — There are close to 15,000 children in foster care in Ohio and approximately 7,000 in West Virginia. To help these youth in need, Orangetheory Fitness studios in both states have once again partnered with international non-profit, Comfort Cases for two weekends of “packing parties” to provide essential and comfort items that will support these youth, particularly during their first days in which they enter foster care.

Funds raised by Orangetheory Fitness members between November 4 and November 18 will be used to purchase Comfort Cases® filled with items including a new set of pajamas, a new blanket, age-appropriate hygiene kit, book and a “stuffie” to be given to foster care youth in need through local foster care agencies.

Following the fundraising, Comfort Cases® “packing parties” will take place at 19 Orangetheory Fitness studios in Ohio (greater Columbus area) and West Virginia (Charleston, Morgantown, Barboursville) the weekends of December 3-5 and December 9-11. The Comfort Cases® will then be distributed to and by local foster care agencies to youth in need.

To make an online donation toward a Comfort Case® through a specific Orangetheory Fitness location, please visit: http://www.comfortcases.org/otf.

Comfort Cases’ mission is to eliminate the demoralizing practice of placing children in homes with their belongings stuffed into trash bags. “With more than 700 children entering foster care every day, and more than 400,000 children in foster care nationwide, it’s so important to not just raise awareness, but to also provide hope and dignity to them by giving back to these children,” states Comfort Cases founder Rob Scheer. “We are so thankful to the GOOD HUMANS at Orangetheory Fitness to once again chose to help these children through the efforts of their staff and members.”

“This is the 4th year that our West Virginia studios are partnering with Comfort Cases and we’re thrilled that we are now expanding our efforts to 16 additional studios in Ohio, which will exponentially increase donations, which in turn will benefit our local organizations and kids here,” states Brock Meadows, Orangetheory Fitness franchisee. “Hope is a most powerful force, and every child deserves it, along with dignity and love. One Comfort Case helps provide that in a difficult moment where it is needed most and our members will do all they can to let these children know that they matter and will not be forgotten.”

NOTE: Spokespeople from Orangetheory Fitness, Comfort Cases and beneficiary agencies are available for interview – prior to and on the day of the packing parties.

About Comfort Cases
Comfort Cases is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to inspire communities to bring dignity and hope to youth in foster care. Founded in 2013, Comfort Cases has distributed more than 110,000 Comfort Cases and Comfort XL duffel bags to children in the foster care system in all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.

In 2021, Comfort Cases was given a Global Giving All-Star designation, meaning good reporting, phenomenal mission, and great response time. Comfort Cases is also a gold-level GuideStar participant, demonstrating commitment to transparency.

Having grown up in foster care, Rob Scheer, the CEO of Comfort Cases travels the country to share his story, advocating for youth and sharing his mission. Rob and his husband Reece have adopted five children who were in the foster care system. Rob’s memoir, A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time, was published in 2018. Rob also hosts Fostering Change, a weekly audio and video podcast ranked for two consecutive years as the #1 podcast with a focus on foster care and adoption. For more information about Comfort Cases, please visit: http://www.comfortcases.org.

You can read the article here.