Life Books Help Children in State Custody Create, Keep Memories

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- A small project that began in Edmond to create scrapbooks for children in foster care has grown into a community-wide effort to reach out to all children in state custody.
Back in 2007, Matthew Taylor, an Edmond Memorial High School student, asked some of his friends to participate in the scrapbook project he believed could help children in his community. After Matthew brought the idea to them, the Distributive Education Clubs of America chapter at Edmond Memorial agreed to help create 100 of the scrapbooks, called Life Books. 

Life Books help foster parents manage birth certificates and dental and immunization records. More importantly, for children who are separated from their biological family, the books may contain memories such as birth family visits, first days of school and birthday parties.

Matthew already knew quite a bit about children in the foster care system. His mother, Cynthia Taylor, is a child welfare specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

“Foster children so often have a sense of missing pieces in their lives,” Cynthia Taylor said. “Not only are these books amazing works of art, they can put all the pieces together in a way that helps a child recognize and ultimately feel good about his or her history.”

“It meant a lot for DECA to decorate and make the Life Books,” Matthew Taylor said. “We all learned about the numbers of children in foster care. We learned about the hardships for a foster child, yet we also learned that a Life Book will provide memories along the way.”

The project has grown across Edmond. Now, more people and organizations are volunteering to help. This year, Edmond Memorial’s DECA decorated 60 books. Other participants include the Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Center, a Girl Scout Troop, a church and several area college students. One nine-year-old girl in particular has created 50 books on her own.

Cynthia Taylor said OKDHS Foster Care recruitment officials have the goal to provide a Life Book to every child in state custody. So far, 500 Life Books have been created and distributed.

Taylor said making a Life Book is easy: volunteers can purchase a scrapbook or three-ring binder and decorate it. The time commitment varies, depending on the extent of the décor. Some books are decorated with stickers and paint while others are more elaborate and have pages that list favorite foods, friends and special occasions. However, artistic abilities are not necessary. Even donations of scrapbook materials are welcome, Taylor added.

For more information Life Books or how to participate, contact the OKDHS Office of Communications at (405) 521-3027.

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