Miss Clovis 2022 Caleigh Alday continues to serve her community as she uses her social impact of “Improving the Lives of Foster Children.”
Alday is holding a blanket drive for foster youth, which will run through January 16th.
She aims to comfort these kids, give them warmth especially when it’s getting cold and rainy.
Alday’s motivation to put on this Blanket Drive came from a lot of the stories she heard from the social workers and director. She has been able to learn about different foster children’s stories.
“A lot of the kids need reassurance and for them that’s holding a blanket or holding a stuffed animal during court hearings or it’s holding something when they go to sleep because they need comfort. So, it just lightbulbed in my head — I was like I have this platform and even though I just got crowned like a month ago, I’m going to do this,” Alday said. “I want to start something and want to make it big because I want to bring everybody in Clovis and Fresno together in the Central Valley to bless foster children this holiday season.”
One of the reasons why Alday wants to bring awareness to foster advocacy is because her grandmother grew up in foster care.
When asked about how special this blanket drive is to Alday, she said she wakes up with a smile on her face every day and feels like she’s doing something awesome.
“Personally, I want to make my grandmother proud. I want to make her story heard that she went through a difficult time. But also, after foster care, another reason why I really appreciate the police is that my grandmother went to records there at Clovis Police Department and worked there to support her children, her family,” Alday said.
When Alday dropped off some blankets herself, she said she was grateful.
“I was grateful for the environment that has supported me along – just my idea,” Alday said.
Alday said the Clovis police and fire headquarters have been more than generous.
“I’ve been so overwhelmed with the joy and the love that I’ve gotten from these amazing protectors in our community,” Alday said.
You can make a difference this holiday season by donating blankets (either brand new or gently used). The drop-off location is at the Clovis Police and Clovis Fire Department lobby headquarters located at 1233 Fifth St Clovis, CA 93612.