Document text
Toys for foster kids stolen from car Monday Jan 9, 2017 at 4:33 PM Jan 9, 2017 at 4:33 PM By Troy Shinn Grants Pass Daily Courier A local advocate for foster children was shocked to see that someone had broken into her car on Southwest L Street and stolen toys that were meant as donations for foster kids in Southern Oregon. Bea Ryan's Dodge Durango was parked out in front of her home Wednesday night. She was sure that she or her husband had locked it, but they came outside the following morning to find it unlocked, and the 15 or so bins full of toys ransacked. Missing were several valuable toys, including drones, some board games such as Monopoly, and several tablets, including Amazon Kindles. They were leftovers from the holiday season and were meant to go into a new storage unit Thursday. "These are really important gifts," Ryan said, "because they help these kids feel normal in a world that is not normal." Ryan said the tablets are a good example of this. They aren't just for games, they help foster kids do their homework, communicate with friends and family, and feel just like any other kid. Asked what her reaction to the incident was, Ryan gave a charitable answer. "Mad isn't the right word," Ryan said. "I'm disappointed, surely, that there are people in our community who feel that it's OK to take things that don't belong to them. But really, I think whoever did this needs help, and the point of letting the public know isn't to get people riled up, but to see if anyone knows anything else." Ryan has been the president and founder of Our Foster Kids, Inc. organization for 10 years. A former foster child from California herself, Ryan has made it a point to support foster kids in a way that puts their needs first, not her organization's funding or image. "We're a nonprofit and don't really have a way of making money ourselves, so all of our gifts are provided by the public or with money that's donated," Ryan said. The organization receives a list of foster children from the Oregon Department of Human Services, with basic information such as their gender and age, so they can put together packages for them come the holiday time. These typically include a larger gift, such as a computer tablet or drone, an age-appropriate game, and warm-weather clothes such as socks or scarves. The group often stores leftover items year-round so there isn't a scramble to go out and buy or collect things at the last minute when Christmas rolls around. Not everything was taken, but most of the more valuable items were, Ryan said. Ryan encourages any local residents with information on the case to contact the police and reference case number 17-00638. The nonemergency number for the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety is 541-450-6260. — Reach reporter Troy Shinn at 541-474-3806 or [email protected]