Last Wednesday, Notre Dame Right to Life hosted an event to pack backpacks for foster children in the South Bend, Indiana, area. Something as little as packing backpacks with arts and crafts supplies and blankets is important because it allows for children in transient circumstances to have something material to call their own. It is a small way for us as a club to recognize the dignity of these children. In this small way, we let them know that “You Are Loved.” This was the theme of our club last week: “You Are Loved.” We want to demonstrate how we genuinely care about the lives of others, especially those in most need of care. When talking about basic human needs, what comes to mind are needs of safety and physiological needs. However, what can be overlooked is how instrumental love is as a need, especially in development and childhood. My summer service learning project going into my junior year was spent at the Astor Home for Children & Families. I spent most of my time there in gym class with children who have mental health problems stemming from emotional trauma as a result of abuse or neglect. What stuck with me that summer was how much love and sound structure in the family unit were essential to the success and growth of children. A primary factor for why these children had these problems was because they did not have someone to love them and care for them. Although the cases I saw that summer were more extreme, I learned that more needs to be done to aid in the lives of all children in similar circumstances to these. Advocate for better policies in our country for children and adoptive parents, or donate to organizations that have resources to help these children. I challenge you to be open to adopting children in your life or fostering a child. We’re a human family. Too often, that gets overlooked. To be authentically Christian means to love your neighbor. Foster care and adoption directly participate in what it means to love one’s neighbor. The interaction can be a complete gift; it would be a gift that goes both ways. I challenge you to be open to the idea that someone else’s child could be a gift to your own life. You can give a child love who, in some cases, may not have even known what love is. What greater gift is there than that?
Conor Bradley
senior
April 2
