When Cartersville High School student Lane Bonney discovered that local foster children have to carry their belongings from foster house to foster house in garbage bags, he knew he wanted to do something for them.

So, Bonney decided to use his Eagle Scout project to collect suitcases for Bartow County’s foster children.

“He tried many different avenues for an idea for an Eagle Scout project, and when he heard (about the foster children), it just really touched him,” said his mother, Dana Bonney, who spoke on his behalf while he is at Scout Camp. “He didn’t think that kids should have to use trash bags.”

But, since there wasn’t enough storage space for suitcases at the Bartow County Department of Family & Children Services, Lane Bonney decided instead to collect duffle bags. For the month of May, Bonney had 13 collection sites set up throughout Cartersville – including churches, businesses and Cartersville High School. He also set up a Facebook page for his project, posted about it on Twitter and spoke at local churches. His goal was to collect 200 duffle bags, which would almost be enough for the number of children currently in foster care in Bartow County.

But, as word spread, the number of duffle bags steadily grew beyond Bonney’s original goal.

“He had people mailing him bags from out of town who he didn’t even know,” his mother said. “It’s really amazing that it took off the way it did.”

 In the end, the high school sophomore collected 675 bags. That number shocked his parents.

“On May 1 when it first started, we all thought, ‘Boy, I hope he gets 200 bags,” Dana Bonney said. “Then, as it started (gaining momentum), we wondered, ‘Boy, how many bags will he get today?’”

Last weekend, Lane Bonney delivered the bags to Bartow County DFACS.

“They were thrilled, absolutely thrilled,” Dana Bonney said. “They were I think amazed at how many he got. They were so thrilled that the community stepped up the way they did. I think foster kids feel like they’re forgotten. That’s another reason lane wanted to do it, to let them know they’re not forgotten.”

Bonney said she’s proud of her son.

“To see him actually succeed at it and see the fruits of his labor and how his efforts paid off, that he has that realization that he did this, that’s just neat for me as a parent,” she said.

Lane Bonney is a member of Troop 15 at Trinity United Methodist Church.