For children whose lives are uprooted by placement into foster care, many of the common things that most children take for granted can be hard to come by.

From basic necessities like winter coats to special trips to places like the zoo, these kinds of simple comforts aren’t in the cards for many children who have lost their primary caregiver.

Thanks to grant funding from the United Way of Southwest Michigan, members of the Cass County Family Court are working to ensure that the foster children under their supervision receive the type of things they need to not just survive, but to flourish.

The local service organization has committed $20,000 toward the family court’s Foster Child Enrichment Project, a program that provides items and other services for Cass County children placed in foster care.

The program is seeking to help around 100 local children this year, spending an average of $200 to $250 per child, said Court Administrator Carol Montavon Bealor.

“Two-hundred dollars can make a big difference in the lives of one of these children,” Bealor said.

While area foster children have benefited from programs such as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), not every child living with foster parents can receive assistance from them, Bealor said. As a result, the family court created the Foster Child Enrichment Project last year to help these children.

Using $10,000 worth of grant funding from the United Way, court officials purchased a variety of things for foster children last year, from small items like clothing and blankets to larger, more expensive things like bicycles, Bealor said.

“Kids, when they are placed in foster care, often don’t have a lot of belongings of their own,” she said. “So it’s nice to give them things that will be special to them.”

The program also provided the children with opportunities to participate in summer camps, special instructional classes and other activities to help enhance their education and spice up their daily routines. For example, one child, who was a big fan of horses, got the chance to take riding lessons, Bealor said.

“It’s very individualized, since every kid is in a different place in life,” she said.

With the United Way contributing twice as many resources to the program this year, the court is looking to make an even larger impact in the lives of the county’s foster children, the administrator said.

“We’re every excited to have this opportunity to do a little more for our kids,” Bealor said. “They’re our most important resource, so anything we can do to improve their lives is great.”