There are two of my ‘weekly features’ that I try, no matter what is happening, never to miss: Jolly Monday, and Wednesday’s ‘Good People’ posts. This week, I am somewhat in a grey haze and already missed Jolly Monday (although it might just turn up a bit later in the week 😉 ) and was ready to throw in the towel on today’s Good People post. But then … I remembered this post from early in 2017 and as I re-read it, I thought perhaps this is just what we ALL need right now to bring us back out of that grey, hazy place! I think these kids will bring a smile to your face — they brought one to mine!
I have been working on this post for some four hours, and thus far, this sentence is all I have. I made several false starts … people who seemed to be philanthropists, seemed to be doing good things, but on further digging were merely collecting on other people’s altruism. Then there were scandals with some of the people/organizations I looked into. So, as time and energy are running on fumes at this point, and my family members who walk on all fours are determined to drive me nuts, I decided to think small tonight. Child-sized small, in fact. Children may only be able to do small-scale deeds, but it shows us that though their bodies may be small, their hearts are big. And since these pint-sized do-gooders hold our future in their hands, it is good to see that they already have a sense of caring for others, a sense of humanity.
You are never too young to understand the value of helping others. Second grader Phoebe Brown was running errands with her mother last week in Independence, Missouri when she came across a winning, $100 scratch-off ticket, just lying on the ground. For a fleeting moment, Phoebe admits, the thought of a spree in the toy department held a certain appeal, but it didn’t take long for her to remember that her school was having a canned food drive that week, and she ended up spending the entire $100 on canned food to donate to those less fortunate. Her good works even inspired her dad to match every dime she spent! At the end of the food drive, Phoebe’s class had collected 541 items of food, making them her school’s winner. As a fun reward, Phoebe and her classmates were invited to shave their gym teacher’s beard.
A group of schoolboys in New South Wales, Australia, were about to board a bus and head home after a rugby league game when they noticed an 81-year-old gentleman moving his woodpile from the front of his home to the back, one piece at a time. Without hesitation, the boys and their dads jumped in and moved every last piece of wood for the man. A small gesture? Perhaps, but it is a sign of respect and caring, a sign that these kids are being taught values and compassion. Hats off to the rugby team at Cooma North Public School!
Westboro Baptist Church, best known for its intense hatred of most everything, is located on the East Side of Topeka, Kansas, directly across from Equality House, a resource center established by the non-profit group, Promoting Peace (interesting juxtaposition, don’t you think?). Equality House and Promoting Peace is a whole story unto itself, but that will have to wait for some other Wednesday, because today’s story is about a six-year-old girl named Jaden Sink. After Jaden’s dad tried to explain to her that Westboro members promote messages of hate, Jayden decided she wanted to raise money toward spreading messages of love and peace. So Jayden opened a lemonade stand … not just any ol’ lemonade stand, but a pink lemonade stand, mind you! And in the first day of business, she made $1,400! I think this is proof that love sells better than hate! By the end of that summer in 2013, Jaden had raised more than $23,000, all of which she donated to the cause of peace.
But Jaden’s story didn’t end there. The story of Jaden’s pink lemonade stand went viral during that summer of 2013, and other children jumped happily on the bandwagon. Today, there are some 70 stands worldwide, with all proceeds going toward Equality House’s anti-bullying initiatives. Says Jaden, “We’re giving [the money] to the rainbow house to help people who are sick, and to help people be nice to each other.” That’s my kind of kid!
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 29, 2005, it made history as one of the five deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history. Then-10-year-old fifth-grader Talia Leman, seeing images of the destruction on the news, launched a charity urging kids to trick-or-treat for New Orleans, ultimately raising more than $10 million for the Hurricane Katrina foundation. From there, she founded RandomKid, a nonprofit that provides resources for young people who want to make a worldwide impact on any issue. Among the company’s successful efforts are reusable water bottles, which helped fund a water pump for an African village, and a push to provide crutches and artificial limbs to Haitian earthquake victims. Here is an example of a kid who started out doing small things and ended up doing some pretty big things!
Many of these stories are about small acts of kindness, but these children have the right idea, and I would not be surprised to see them make major differences in the world one of these days. Hats off to the kids, of course, but also to their parents who have obviously taken the time to instill compassion, kindness and caring about others into the hearts of their children.
Wonderful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thats so true, Jill! Only the kids can be the hope for future. Thanks for sharing this empowering posting, and have a beautiful day! xx Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wonder if people thought that about us back when we were young(er) … that we held the future of the world in our hands? Glad you enjoyed these kids! They make me smile. xx
LikeLike
I think it was, Jill! But we don’t always know all the politicians who want to govern us. xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, and back when we were kids, who among us really intended to become a politician? What did you think you wanted to be when you were a kid? Believe it or not, I thought I wanted to be a waitress! xx
LikeLike
Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kids will save the world!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so, for our future is in their hands!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News.
LikeLike
Little kids with big hearts! I love your post! Very inspiring!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I write a ‘good people’ post every Wednesday — sometimes groups, sometimes everyday heroes, sometimes youth, and sometimes even animals, so I hope you’ll visit again!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will visit again. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad! 😊
LikeLike
Pingback: Good People Doing Good Things – Little Kids With BIG Hearts. | Filosofa’s Word | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal
Pingback: Good People Doing Good Things – Little Kids With BIG Hearts | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News
Thanks, Ned!!!
LikeLike
Well done Jill. It is terrific to see kids doing this. Keith
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is, isn’t it? I love seeing how caring some of the younger generations are. They hold our future in their hands, after all.
LikeLike
Wonderful folk. Thanks Jill for the reminder.
I wonder where Jayden Sink is now?
The antics of that outfit Westboro. It seems to consists solely of an extended family…..Cousins marrying too much?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good question … I’ll see if I can find out. The Westboro church group makes a mockery of Christianity, for they are naught but a bigoted, racist group and hate, not love, is their mantra. Glad you enjoyed these young people … they are, after all, our future.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We can only hope they survive and prevail over the various types of foolishness the ‘adults’ are laying out for them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely. And that they are smart enough to know when they’re being lied to by the ‘adults’ in the room!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Hats off to the rugby team”
It’s really as they saying goes: “Rugby is game for hooligans, played by gentlemen.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hadn’t heard that saying, but it fits!
LikeLiked by 1 person
a very uplifting post. I’m glad to see kids still like kindness. I’d be very interested in Equality House and it’s position so close to the Westboro Hate Foundation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The same group that started the Equality House is led by the guy I wrote about a few weeks back who is helping find homes for Ukrainian refugees. Some people just seem to have naturally good hearts, don’t they?
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
yes, they do. Seems to put the lie to Feargal Sharkey’s excellent song ‘ A good heart’ These days is hard to find.I wondered if Equality House was created where it was on purpose to upset that vicious church and it’s members?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, no doubt it was purchased solely for its location across from the hated Westboro Baptist Church! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equality_House
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person