“A Backpack, a Sense of Belonging”: Leadership Northeast Project Fostering Hope Supports Children in Crisis

 Fostering Hope, a project team of the Leadership Northeast Core Class of 2026, has lived up to its chosen committee name.

The team of local leaders delivered 75 backpacks and more than $12,000 in monetary and in-kind support to aid abused and neglected children in Luzerne and Wyoming counties — marking the culmination of a community impact project benefiting CASA of Wyoming Valley.

The members of the Fostering Hope completed the effort Saturday, May 2, following a months-long initiative launched in fall 2025.

Each of the 75 backpacks included personal hygiene items, school supplies, water tumblers, socks, and journals. The team also contributed more than $1,500 in additional comfort items and $3,000 in monetary donations to support ongoing and emergent needs for children served by CASA.

CASA — Court Appointed Special Advocates — of Wyoming Valley serves more than 400 infants, toddlers, and teens in Luzerne and Wyoming counties who have experienced abuse or neglect and are navigating the court system. Their court-appointed volunteers serve as a consistent voice for children, often remaining one of the only stable figures in their lives during a case.

“Many of the children we serve enter new placements with few belongings and a great deal of uncertainty,” said Angelina Pacheco, development and communications manager of CASA of Wyoming Valley. “These backpacks offer more than essentials. They provide a sense of dignity, comfort, and reassurance when children need it most.”

Fostering Hope team members worked with CASA to identify high-impact items and ensure each backpack met the immediate needs of children entering care. Each backpack and its contents are valued at approximately $100, but for members of the Fostering Hope team, their worth extends far beyond that.

“These may seem like small things, but to an abused or neglected child navigating the court system, they represent stability, self-worth, and hope during one of the most frightening moments of their life,” said Justin Topa, a member of the Fostering Hope team and director of marketing for Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. “One backpack can mean the difference between fear and comfort and reminds children they are not alone.”

The initiative was supported through fundraising events, public donation drives, and partnerships with local businesses and community organizations. The team credits their success to an overwhelming generosity from the public to ensure the needs of local abused and neglected children were met and that they did not face the future empty-handed.

“We saw the members of our community rally behind our region’s most vulnerable — ensuring that abused and neglected children across Luzerne and Wyoming counties have something they can call their own,” said Topa.

For information about CASA of Wyoming Valley or how to support its mission, visit LuzerneCASA.org.

About Fostering Hope

Fostering Hope is a Community Impact Project of Leadership Northeast’s Core Class of ’26, created in partnership with CASA of Wyoming Valley, whose volunteers serve as the court-appointed voice for abused and neglected children.

While CASA advocates for children within the legal system, Fostering Hope’s mission extends beyond the courtroom. The project committee’s goal is simple and deeply human — to provide children navigating one of the most frightening moments of their lives with a sense of belonging, dignity, and reassurance.

Through this project, the Fostering Hope committee members are assembling and distributing 75 essential care backpacks filled with personal hygiene items, school supplies, water tumblers, journals, and other items a child can truly call their own.