Oakland woman restoring American Girls to donate to foster kids

Oakland woman restores American Girl dolls for foster youth

A woman in Oakland is aiming to bring joy to foster kids' faces by restoring and donating American Girl dolls.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A woman in Oakland is aiming to bring joy to foster kids' faces by restoring and donating American Girl dolls.

She runs a makeshift doll factory from her home where she collects dolls to restore – some lightly pre-loved and some torn apart.

More than 200 dolls donated since 2021

"Each doll comes with three outfits, three complete changes of clothes, a book, an activity and accessories for their hair," she said.

Sue calls it the Pink Ribbon Project, and she styles each doll with a pink ribbon on her right wrist.

Sue, who collected dolls as a young person, said she does it all in an effort to put smiles on vulnerable kids’ faces.

"A lot of foster kids live out of a plastic bag," she said. "So we need to make them portable."

Sue said she recently received 50 dolls from a collector in Sacramento, expanding her operation.

Restoring one doll takes hours

While some are in better shape than others, some become patients at the "doll hospital," run by her husband, Roger, who has researched how to restore them to near-new condition.

"Those have to be restrung, the bodies restuffed," she said.

When asked how he learned to do it, Roger said, "YouTube."

After their bodies are ready and their hair is washed, the dolls get a modern freshly-ironed outfit.

Each dressed doll is accompanied by an activity to inspire big dreams – like winter sports, veterinary medicine, horse-back riding, or music.

Then, the doll is packed away into gift bags to be re-loved.

"I’ve spent several thousand dollars a year replacing hair and eyes and just the supplies needed to really make this come to life," she said.

Foster kids in the Bay Area and beyond receiving dolls

Over the last few years, Sue said she has donated to about eight different foster centers, even one as far as Reno.

Just last Friday, she donated 15 dolls to Rebekah Children’s Services in the South Bay.

"I’ve given a total of about 30 so far in the last month," Sue said.

She said she’s planning another delivery next week in Napa.

"Some of the comments that I’ve received is, ‘this is the nicest gift this child will receive in their entire life,’" Sue added.

A spokesperson from Alternative Family Services in San Francisco said the kids light up when they see the dolls because they offer the children, who jump from home to home, a sense of security and stability.

"It brings me joy to do something for somebody else," Sue said.

Brand new American Girl dolls range from $25 to more than $300.

What you can do:

Sue said she welcomes donations in any condition. She can be contacted on her Facebook page.

"Each doll makes a difference," she said.

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