Hadleigh and Braelyn
The longest journey begins with a single step. The first step in this story started with an email from Carolyn, Hadleigh and Braelyn’s mom – “On 1/19 my daughters are turning 8 and 10. I am interested in having them and some friends volunteer at GiftsToGive as part of their party on 1/18. I see stories of kids that had friends bring presents to donate instead of birthday presents for them, could the girls and their guests also volunteer their time?”
Carolyn sent a follow-up email after the girls’ visit – “As parents, we try our best to teach our daughters about being thankful for their blessings and look for opportunities to give back to those in need.”
The Birthday Party Girls!
“The girls regularly clean our their closets and playroom to donate to GiftsToGive. They’ve also volunteered there in the past. Around the time we were planning their birthday party we learned that GiftsToGive volunteers were having a hard time keeping up with an increase in needs. When we presented to Hadleigh and Braelyn a chance to gather their friends together and help for their birthday, they agreed wholeheartedly. On January 18th the girls and their friends gave two hours of their time to inspect, clean and sort toys.”
Inspecting, cleaning and organizing toys!
“The parents of the friends even jumped in and helped! We were very proud as we watched the kids working together, selflessly, excited that they were helping kids in their community who are in need. Parents and kids enjoyed themselves so much they all talked about doing it again with their families! The kids and their parents all get a lesson, not only about GiftsToGive and what they do for the community and what the community needs are, but also how much fun and fulfilling giving back can be!”
GiftsToGive’s CEO and Founder, Jim Stevens had this to say – “The lessons we learn as children, if they have a rich context, create positive memories and follow us all our lives! I can’t thank parents Buddy and Carolyn enough for organizing this birthday event for their girls and their friends. Connecting children to giving and service while sharing their values as a family is quite possibly the best example of how we build a more caring community.”