Giving Tuesday: People focus on helping others

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Megan Davis was 7 years old when everything changed.

"I just remember bawling. Just busted out crying and ended up telling her just a little bit," she said. "That same night, we were removed. I remember the police coming. I remember having to stay at a neighbor's house."

Megan said she and her twin sister were physically abused and neglected at home.

The girls didn't have a lot of toys, but a CPS caseworker made sure they would have at least one each to take with them to their new foster home.

"I just remember going into this room. It had all these toys in it and all of us were allowed to pick out a toy," Megan said. "My twin sister picked up this stuffed animal that was an elephant and then I picked out an itty bitty white dog."

The toy room must've looked a lot like the BEAR warehouse in the Houston Heights. Tuesday, volunteers there sorted through piles of Christmas gifts.

More than 8,500 children currently in CPS custody have already filled out wish lists for the holiday.

"We try to make their holidays merry and bright," explained BEAR Operations Coordinator Michelle Searles. "Sounds kind of corny and lame, but it's our mission to offer hope and help."

It's not corny for Megan and her sister, who both still have their toys nearly two decades later.

And Megan has another gift, too.

She now works for CPS.

"I wanted to give back to the agency that saved my life and I do not say that lightly," she said. "It is about where my life was and where it could've been and where it is now. How grateful and how blessed I am. How truly lucky I am for the experiences I went through and how its got me to where I am today."

If you'd like to donate, visit the BEAR Operations website.