What is it about the holidays that puts us into a reflective mood? While decorating our homes with garland and gifts, it’s prudent to have a humble posture and open heart towards those with less. According to the DEB Project Founder, Sammy Laney, it’s often brave faces in our immediate circle [like her own] that secretly need extra love this season.
Established in 2012, the DEB Project was inspired by Laney’s childhood friend, Deborah, who had been adopted out of foster care when they met in elementary school. “Deborah was a spunky third grader when we met,” Laney said. “Her adopted mother worked with my mother, so when she brought her home, they brought her over and it was an instant friendship.”
It wasn’t until adulthood that Laney learned more about Deborah’s pre-adoption life and the difficulties many children face throughout their foster experience. “I never knew about her life before adoption; she didn’t talk about it," Laney shared. "I was raised by a strong Christian family. We did everything together and there was so much love in my home that I couldn’t fathom something like that could happen.”
Deborah’s passing was the fire that ignited Laney’s mission to minimize the burdens foster families and social workers face during crisis by providing essentials like clothing, undergarments, hygiene kits, car seats, and toiletries. According to Laney, the average monthly stipend in Arkansas is $300-500 per child, and in situations like an emergency placement, foster parents could be receiving their child with nothing more than the clothes they have on.
“I had no idea how to start a non-profit, I just knew it had to be done,” she said. Laney filed for a 501c3 in the fall of 2012 and received her non-profit number the following spring - An uncharacteristically quick turnaround. The DEB Project - DEB stands for Deserving, Enriched, and Blessed - operated out of the Laney household for four years before moving into its current storefront near Downtown Bentonville.
Year-after-year, the organization has expanded its physical presence until it had no room left to grow. “We’ve expanded as much as we can until I can get a building,” Laney said. The current storefront functions as a donation center, thrift boutique, food and hygiene pantry, and operational headquarters for her non-profit. The added space has allowed the DEB Project to expand its support services to include a therapy dog placement program called Unleashed, a scholarship program, and its annual Christmas Tree Project, which provides wrapped gifts for foster families nominated by school social workers and the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
Laney’s long-term plan for the DEB Project is to find a building in Bentonville where they can house a café and coffee shop on one side and offer a mentorship program for children aging out of foster care. “Eighty percent of kids that age out of a foster home end up homeless or in jail because they don’t know how to do life. They need someone to teach them how to do things like applying for a job, saving money, applying to college, or managing their prescriptions.”
In addition to the coffee shop, boutique, and donation center, the ideal building will also have enough space to offer a variety of counseling services. “Families are driving 18-hours a week to different places around Northwest Arkansas for therapy,” Laney explained. “If we could have a wall of offices for counselors to come in and take care of the kiddos - where they can get everything they need in one place - that’s very important to me.”
The energy behind the DEB Project mission is unwavering, but Laney’s primary call-to-action isn’t about donation requests. While she would love to see community partners come together to sponsor the organization with a monthly commitment and internal education campaigns, her greatest hope is to inspire individuals to join her in expanding the support system for foster families. All it takes, she says, is reaching out and offering a helping hand.
“My vision is bigger than my budget has ever been. But what we really need is awareness. Check in your group. How many foster families do you know? Reach out and support them. These kids matter and they need us.”
If you feel moved to support the DEB Project monetarily or with physical goods, you can visit www.DEBProject.com to donate or contribute to the organization’s Walmart Wish-List, which includes items like toothpaste, socks and underwear, toys, and food pantry items. The DEB Project Thrift Boutique is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. at 1140 N Walton Blvd.
I wanted foster kiddos to come and have a safe place to shop; I want to be able to offer whatever they need.
Check in with your personal groups. How many foster families do you know? Reach out and support them. Even if its just a meal or encouraging text, they need their family and friends, and coworkers to be there.