“We give foster kids new confidence!”

Having a great hair day can build self-esteem, so when 8-year-old Avery Jenkins learned many foster kids didn't have the hair care products they needed, she went on a mission to help them look great and feel loved

- —Bill Holton

Patina and Avery (front) are giving back and boosting kids' self-worth in a unique way

Mom, remember when you bought me the shampoo, and then asked if we could give it to another kid who needed it even more?” 8-year-old Avery asked her mom, Patina Dixon. “Are there any other kids like that?”

“Sadly, yes,” Patina replied, and remembered the Evanston, Illinois, moms’ Facebook group, where someone had posted about a friend with a new foster child, who was in desperate need of guidance on how to best care for the sweet young girl’s hair.

She's a little girl with very curly hair, and the foster mom doesn't know what she needs or how to even get started, the woman wrote. Patina glanced over at the bag on the table with the curly hair products she'd bought for Avery on her way home from work.

“Can we give your new hair products to this little girl in need?” Patina asked Avery.

Avery has the honor of visiting foster care centers and handing out hair care kits to hundreds of kids in need

“Of course, she can have them,” Avery had happily offered. But suddenly, the 8-year-old’s demeanor shifted and her smile turned into a thoughtful frown.

“But, how many other girls out there need special shampoo, conditioner and products?” Avery inquired, realizing that many other kids with highly textured or curly hair in the foster care system likely lacked the right products too. The question stirred something deep in Avery’s heart, and she became determined to do more. “When can we go back to the store to get more products?” she kept asking, and Patina was so proud of her daughter’s enthusiasm.