Help Us ........ Help them
To Volunteer Phone - 1 (508) 498 5001
To Volunteer Phone - 1 (508) 498 5001
Janet C. Huegen, 83, peacefully passed away on Tuesday February 13, 2024, surrounded by those that loved her deeply. She was born on October 24, 1940, to the late Arthur and Cecelia Haas (nee Kalmer) in Damiansville, Illinois.
Janet is survived by her beloved husband of 63 years Leroy O. Huegen. Jan was the devoted mother of Karen (Tim) Floyd, Michael (Lisa) Huegen, James (Tami) Huegen, Kristy (Tim) Berra, and Melissa (Brian) Mund. Jan was the loving grandmother to fifteen grandchildren that she cherished and held close to her heart. She was blessed with four great grandchildren and two more precious great grandchildren on the way.
Jan was one of seven children and is survived by her sister Arlene (Charles, deceased) Sandheinrich, her brother Dan (Shirley) Haas, sister Judy (Larry, deceased) Schurman, and sister Kathy Dunnill. Janet was preceded in death by her brothers Jerry (Merrill) Haas and Ron (Carol) Haas.
Jan was a loving wife and mother and cherished her time at home raising her children in Cincinnati, Ohio. When all her children were in school, she went back to work in a clerical position at AT&T. Jan was a great cook. She spent her free time reading and gardening. Jan was a very artistic and creative soul. She enjoyed flower arranging, photography, and painting. Her home is graced with her wonderful photos of her travels and beautiful paintings. She also blessed her family with gifts of artwork that will be cherished for years to come. Jan was also an athletic person. Golf was one of her favorite past times. She loved to play with her husband Lee and her children have many fond memories of being out with her on the links. Jan loved to play cards and board games with family and friends. Her children and grandchildren will miss the fun games and her competitive spirit.
After retirement, Jan and Lee moved to North Port, Florida. Her empathetic and kind heart saw that the needs of the homeless youth in her local community were not being met. Jan stepped up to fill that need by starting the Backpack Angels, along with friends Dianne Piccatagio, Sharon Turner, Anita Kubeciwicz, Betty Woodburn, Cheryl Doyle and Janice Dermitis. An organization that provides the youth of the community with the basic hygiene necessities that every child should have. Jan grew the organization from the ground up and worked tirelessly to garner support from her community and local businesses in order to help children in need. Many lives have been touched by her generosity. The Backpack Angels charity is still operating in North Port, Florida and will continue to be a positive force in the lives of the youth in need in that community. Jan’s kind acts for others will have lasting positive effects that will long outlive her.
In recent years, Jan and Lee moved back to the Cincinnati area. Jan continued to enjoy her hobbies and she spent her time with her children and grandchildren. She was a member of St. Bernard of Clairvaux parish. Jan found solace in her faith and counted her blessings every day. Her family and friends will miss her dearly.
The Mass of Christian Burial will occur on Monday February 26, 2024, at 10:30 am at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church 7130 Harrison Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45247. Visitation will occur at the church from 9:30 am until the time of Mass. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Backpack Angels PO Box 6826 North Port, Florida 34290 Backpackangels.org
They are mostly invisible students. They suffer quietly. They walk through the halls like other students. They attend classes and appear studious. They hang onto the idea that all students come to appreciate; going to school and finishing school is key to any kind of bright future.
What is not understood at first sight is the struggle these students undergo every single day of their lives. They are homeless. Nothing is permanent in their lives. Some have transitioned through eight to ten different temporary dwellings and schools in less than one academic year.
They ask for nothing… even though most of them have not even had the simple dignity of starting their day with a washed face or brushed teeth.
Just in the North Port area there are hundreds of such students. You have an opportunity to make a difference in their lives and the community we live in now.
Help the Back Pack Angels, a North Port-based group of grandparents, mothers and teachers, who are providing students, identified as homeless by their counselors, with backpacks containing toiletries to meet their daily hygiene needs.
Call 508-498-5001 right now to make a difference with these quietly suffering students.
In the fall of 2010, there were seven ladies who saw the homeless tragedy before them and took personal responsibility to do something about it. Co-founders Jan Huegen (Past President), Diane Picataggio (Past President) and Cheryl Doyle created the North Port Coalition for Homeless/Needy Children, Inc., registered as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit corporation. They are also known as the "Back Pack Angels." All members and volunteers are trying to make a positive difference in the lives of North Port children who, through no fault of their own, have become homeless. The goal is to keep the children in school and receive their diplomas. Because of personal hygiene, some of them do not show up for class.
BPA works with social workers assigned to the North Port schools. There is a need for backpacks filled with personal hygiene products. Students often move around with what they can carry. By having the backpacks/bags filled with personal care products, it would be one less thing of concern. The benefit of having backpacks with supplies would allow the social workers to act with an immediate response when students walk in the door and share their homeless situation.
Both girls and boys are in this situation. There hundreds of homeless students attending their schools. The "Back Pack Angels" have distributed thousands of family bags/backpacks trying to provide them with everyday essentials. The items provided are consumables and the number of homeless/needy children continues to grow causing a constant need of toiletries and monetary donations to provide them. This is just a band-aid for the homeless problem, but with the help of people like YOU, together we can make a difference in the life of a child by showing them someone cares.
Our mission statement is straight forward and simple: To provide hygiene products to the homeless/needy children of North Port which will improve self-esteem and enable them to remain in school, clean and well groomed.
We continue to rely on the school guidance counselors, nurses and teachers working with their social worker(s) to identify the needy children in the North Port schools. We also use the Schoolhouse Link, a long-standing partnership between the School Board of Sarasota County and the Sarasota Family YMCA, to identify homeless/needy North Port children via their YMCA Homeless Youth program. We supply the North Port Social Services with supplies to be given to families who demonstrate a financial need. We have also worked with the Warren Foundation and the All Faiths Food Bank to supply help for the homeless/needy children.
We do not deal directly with the homeless and/or needy. The organizations we work with know and identify who needs help. All of our supplies are delivered through these organizations. We know how many bags are requested by each school/group, how many bags we fill, and to which organization they are delivered. We do not know, and do not wish to know, which individuals receive the supplies.
“Needy” falls into the category of students who come to school with a specific need that has some impact on their ability to access curriculum. Examples would be: students who do not come to school because they have limited clothing, no shoes, parents who have lost jobs and cannot afford clothing, hygiene items, medical services, school supplies,etc..., students that have parents who are barely paying the bills and have no "extras" in the home...and on and on. Unfortunately our coalition cannot address all their needs. We limit our help to personal hygiene items.
Your generous donation will fund our mission. We are a registered member of GUIDESTAR a 501 (c) 3 verifying organization.
https://www.guidestar.org/ North Port Coalition for Homeless Needy Children. dba Back Pack Angels
Giving Tuesday, Help Us~Help Them