As far as wishes go, it was a small one, but Bette Shugert was pleased to be able to grant it. A few strokes of her pen, and a teen-ager would join his classmates on a trip to see a Broadway show. As treasurer of the Ethel Beaver Children's Fund, Shugert turns wishes into reality for children in foster care throughout Centre County. Shugert and a board of approximately 12 volunteers field requests for the fund, which depends on donations to meet requests. What started out in 1948 as a pet project of the late Ethel Beaver, a Lemont native who spent her lifetime working with the county's former Department of Child Welfare, has become a resource to cover unexpected expenses for countless children who have made their way through the foster-care system in Centre County.
Donations come in from a variety of others sources as well.
Occasionally we get something from former foster children, and lots of individuals give to the fund. While the fund is used heavily during the holiday season, it provides financial assistance year-round, Bunnell said. That's where the fund comes in. But we try at meet the fundamental needs. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave much for the other interests a kid may have.