With Christmas just days away, some Maricopa County judges are trying to make Christmas wishes come true for young people in Arizona’s foster care system.

The group of judges is called “ROBES”. This stands for Reaching Out and Building Engagement Through Service.

“The purpose of this organization is to give judges an opportunity to connect with the community,” Maricopa County Superior Court Chief Justice Elizabeth Bingert said.

Bingert said ROBES worked with the Department of Child Safety’s Giving Tree program this year to have judges rip tags from trees with a list of items requested by foster youth. In this case, they are supporting 18- to 21-year-olds who choose not to be adopted or reunited with their families, but to remain in care voluntarily as they age out of the system.

“At that age, we expect our children to act and function as adults, but they don’t have the family support that many of us take for granted.” Bingert said. remind them that they matter [and] That they have support. ”

Bingert said more than 100 young people were able to obtain basic necessities such as clothing and cleaning supplies, as well as large gifts such as bicycles. The court partnered with the Bicycle Recycling Association to ensure that all 24 people who requested bicycles were able to ride home on their bicycles.

Bingert said that for many of them, the bike is not just a gift, but an important means of transportation to work or school.