Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Scheer.
Hi Rob, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I grew up in a household with abusive parents, often moving around to other family members’ homes. I eventually entered the foster care system as a child who had lost both parents. I was brought into a house with all of my belongings in a tattered and torn trash bag.
Kicked out of my foster family’s home within weeks after turning eighteen—with a year left of high school to go—I had to resort to sleeping in my car and in public bathrooms. I suffered from drug addiction and battled with depression, never knowing when my next meal would be or where I would sleep at night. But by true perseverance, I was able to find my own path and achieve my wildest dreams.
When my daughter and son first arrived on our doorstep through foster care, they experienced the same undignified process I had endured forty years ago. I was floored by the fact that children still carry their lives in a trash bag. The same type of trash bag I had used.
In 2013, my husband Reece and I founded Comfort Cases and set out on a mission to eliminate trash bags from the foster care system. Each is packed with a cozy new pair of pajamas, a stuffed animal to hug, a toothbrush, soap, and other personal care items. The gift of these simple items tells a child, you matter. Since then, we have given out more than 150,000 comfort cases throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.
Reece and I are now the parents of five beautiful children, all who came through the foster care system.
As CEO of Comfort Cases, I travel the country to share my story and advocate for youth in foster care. I published my memoir, “A Forever Family: Fostering Change One Child at a Time” in 2018. The seven of us live on a farm in Darnestown, MD with multiple cats, dogs, a bird, goats, several chickens and ducks, and a pig named Penelope.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My life has been a challenge since the day of my birth. Growing up with abusive parents and being shuttled from one family member to the next, not know if I would have a bed to sleep in or a meal to eat, and then entering the foster care system at a young age was not the life I would have chosen.
At the age of 18, as senior in High School, I was told to leave the home I was in, as I aged out of foster care – so no further subsidies were being given. I lived in a car, outdoors, on couches at friends’ houses… anything so I could graduate (which I did).
As I grew older, additional struggles set in. I was gay and had to deal with revealing that to friends and family members. I was in and out of abusive relationships, drank too much, and became addicted to drugs.
Anyone who thinks someone has had a “perfect life” truly knows that that is not possible. We need to learn and grow from all of our experiences to be a better human. These challenges will always be with me – they are part of my life and I hope to use lessons from these experiences to share with my children and the thousands of people I am lucky enough to meet through Comfort Cases, to inspire them to be a better human.
We’ve been impressed with Comfort Cases, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
On any given day, there are approximately 437,500 children in foster care in the United States. Most of them are removed from their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs. If they do have any personal belongings, they are given a trash bag in which to carry them.
At Comfort Cases, we believe that every child deserves to feel a sense of dignity. Every child deserves to pack their belongings in a special bag that they can call their very own. Every child deserves to have a cozy new pair of pajamas, a brand-new warm blanket, and a new stuffed animal to hug during the traumatic transition into foster care.
We are committed to engaging communities and educating the public about the issues facing youth in foster care. We believe in the importance of encouraging young people to lead by example and to take action to alleviate the suffering of children in the system. We provide volunteer opportunities for all ages so that the entire community can truly be involved together.
Over 150,000 Comfort Cases and Comfort XL distributed since 2013. We cover all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom.
Comfort Cases is 97% volunteer effort. Every day we have incredible people come to our center to help pack up comfort cases. Everyday volunteer efforts are happening across the country – from backyard barbecues to packing parties, where people of all ages gather materials (and money) for our comfort cases. We wouldn’t be nearly as successful without the help of these good humans.
What’s next?
Our goal is simple: we want every youth in foster care to have a sense of hope and dignity. We want to rid the foster care system of trash bags. How much worth are we giving our children if we tell them to carry their belongings in a trash bag? Children truly are our future and it is up to us to support them in every way possible.
As for the future, well last year we opened our first international center in the United Kingdom. We’ve had conversations with people in other countries including Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Mexico about opening up centers there as well. The issues youth in foster care face is not just an “American problem.” There are hundreds of thousands of children who need our help throughout the world.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@comfortcases.org
- Website: https://www.comfortcases.org/
- Instagram: @comfortcases
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/comfortcases
- Twitter: @comfortcases
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5aRYx8Hb65WOsjarG5QWvQ/featured
