LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Charlene Shipley’s daughter is the inspiration behind Roo’s Wish, the nonprofit organization she founded.

“Our daughter is Roo. We adopted out of foster care. She is autistic and nonverbal,” Shipley explained.

Shipley started Roo’s Wish as a project that collected luggage and duffle bags to ensure foster children didn’t have to use trash bags to collect their belongings. 

“What started out as duffel bags and luggage has turned into remodeling foster rooms, collecting Christmas stockings which we’re working on right now, stuffed with goodies,” Shipley said. 

Shipley and Roo’s Wish volunteers are collecting excess Halloween candy donations, enough to stuff about 3,000 Christmas stockings for foster children.  

“A lot of kids and facilities don’t get candy often, so this is one of their favorite treats and we love to put as much candy as possible into a water bottle to put into their stockings,” said Shipley. 

Along with other projects like clothes, shoes and school kit drives, the Christmas stockings are another effort to improve the lives of foster kids. 

“I think that a lot of kids, even at 15 or 16 in the facilities or even in foster homes, this may be their first stocking. This is our opportunity to hand-pick items to put in the hand of a child that has not been dealt a very good hand,” says Shipley. 

You can drop off candy without Halloween-marked packaging can at Learning Express Toys and Gifts in Middletown or Louisville Laser on Hurstbourne Parkway through Nov. 11. 

Roo’s Wish will start stuffing stockings on Nov. 12. Stocking stuffers, luggage, and blanket donations are also being accepted. 

“To be in foster care you’ve been through it and to be able to give them a gift this special is a huge opportunity to show them that they are cared about,” says Shipley. It’s a small gift, but one that could make a huge impact.