{"id":365345,"date":"2026-08-07T14:46:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T14:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/365345\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T14:46:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T14:46:23","slug":"local-southwest-florida-girls-turn-creative-talents-into-donations-for-a-n-a-s-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/365345\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Southwest Florida girls turn creative talents into donations for A.N.A.\u2019s Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

Darya Haija, founder of Kidz Care 4 Kidz. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

A pair of Southwest Florida girls representing Kidz Care 4 Kidz, a local youth-led charity, sold handmade friendship bracelets and beaded pens to raise money for programs supporting children and teens in foster care.\n<\/p>\n

Kidz Care 4 Kidz donated proceeds totaling $500 to A.N.A.\u2019s Friends, a nonprofit that provides programs and services to Southwest Florida children and teens who have experienced abuse, neglect or abandonment.\n<\/p>\n

Handmade bracelets, long recognized as symbols of friendship, provided an avenue for Kidz Care 4 Kidz members to turn creativity into support for fellow youth they have never met. The donation\u2019s arrival coincided with International Friendship Day on July 30 and National Friendship Day on Aug. 2. The fundraiser also reflects a growing culture of youth-led philanthropy and service across Southwest Florida.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tKidz Care 4 Kidz creating handmade beaded pens and friendship bracelets. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tHandmade beaded pens. -COURTESY PHOTO
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

\u201cThese girls demonstrated leadership by choosing to use their creativity and initiative to help children facing challenges they may never experience themselves,\u201d said A.N.A.\u2019s Friends CEO Jessica Kaestner. \u201cEvery bracelet and every pen represents a decision to care about someone else\u2019s future. We are deeply grateful that Kidz Care 4 Kidz chose A.N.A.\u2019s Friends as the recipient of its generosity, and we hope their example inspires others to discover the difference a simple act of kindness can make.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Founded and operated by youth in Southwest Florida, Kidz Care 4 Kidz encourages children to give back by creating and selling handmade items that benefit local nonprofit organizations. Its partnership with A.N.A.\u2019s Friends demonstrates a shared commitment to strengthening the community through service to others.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to help people as much as we can,\u201d said Darya Haija, founder of Kidz Care 4 Kidz. \u201cI want them to feel happy and know that I helped them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tKidz Care 4 Kidz. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tHandmade friendship bracelets. -COURTESY PHOTO
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

Serving children across Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties, A.N.A.\u2019s Friends provides essentials like clothing, bedding, hygiene products and school supplies, along with funding for tutoring, therapies and summer programs. The nonprofit also offers Heartfelt Hangouts and EmpoweredU, helping children and young adults build confidence, develop life skills and prepare for adulthood beyond foster care.\n<\/p>\n

Learn more about A.N.A.\u2019s Friends by visiting ANAsfriends.org<\/a> or calling 239-245-7787.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tA.N.A.\u2019s Friends CEO Jessica Kaestner holding beaded pen and friendship bracelet gifted from Kidz Care 4 Kidz. -COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tHandwritten note from Locklyn and Darya for A.N.A.\u2019s Friends. -COURTESY PHOTO
\n\t\t\t\t
<\/p>\n

About A.N.A.\u2019s Friends\n<\/p>\n

A.N.A.\u2019s Friends is a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services to vulnerable Southwest Florida children and teens who have been Abused, Neglected and Abandoned (A.N.A.). \u201cFriends\u201d of the organization include individuals, businesses, foundations and nonprofits that collaborate through partnerships that provide a safer, more nurturing environment that ensures youth have the support, resources and opportunities needed to build brighter futures. Originally founded in 1983, A.N.A.\u2019s Friends is a United Way Partner Agency that serves youth in the dependency court system across Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. For more information, please visit ANAsfriends.org<\/a> or call 239-245-7787.\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Darya Haija, founder of Kidz Care 4 Kidz. -COURTESY PHOTO A pair of Southwest Florida girls representing Kidz…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-365345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}