For me, this time of year is all about the warm and fuzzy feels and focusing on the happy stuff. And in my opinion, nothing is a better representation of all that’s joyful and good in the world than kids.
I’ll admit it’s REALLY hard to believe that when your kid is flailing on the ground in the middle of a busy store because they’re coming down from a sugar rush (likely due to their constant intake of Christmas cookies, chocolates and candy canes). But when you take a step back for a minute, you’ll find there’s proof all around us that kids really are wonderful, selfless little beings.
Take, for example, these kids who raised money and donated to a wide variety of causes through a birthday party platform called ECHOage. We wrote about ECHOage when they launched 10 years ago with the goal to bring more meaning into kids’ birthday celebrations. Since then, they’ve helped kids raise $10 million to date. (10 million dollars!!)
Here are just a few examples of those little humans with big hearts who have an incredibly beautiful way of seeing the world.
“I want to help our world.”
-Armaan (age 8)
Armaan raised over $277 for Future Possibilities for Kids at his birthday party. When asked why he did it, here’s what he had to say. “Well, I want to help our world, and if there are more people helping, then there is a better chance that our world can be saved so there is not so much pollution and people fish so much that one day there could be no more fish in the ocean.”
“I wanted to help other children who may not be feeling well.”
-Maiya (age 10)
Make-A-Wish received $218 from Maiya this year because, “I wanted to help someone who might be sick and needed something special to make them feel better. I just had surgery at the IWK health centre and wanted to help other children who may not be feeling well.”
“There are a lot of kids that need help.”
-Isabelle (age 9)
Isabelle raised over $135 for SickKids. She did it because, “I was born 2 months early and was diagnosed with Hirschsprungs. I spent the first two months of my life in the hospital and was taken care of by some amazing doctors and nurses. I chose to support SickKids to give back because there are a lot of kids that need help.”
“I love animals and it is important to help them.”
-Lilian (age 7)
At her party, Lilian raised over $90 for WWF (the World Wildlife Fund), because of her love of animals and how important it is to help them. Also? “They’re cute!”
“I had a brain injury and Bloorview Kids helped me.”
-Milan (age 8)
Milan raised $345 for Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Here’s his beautiful, heartfelt reason why. “I had a brain injury this year and Bloorview Kids helped me to get better and remember my words again. Everybody was very nice to me. I also made friends at the school in Bloorview and I want to help all the kids there.”
“Every kid deserves to play.”
-Ethan (age 9)
Ethan reached a goal of $265, which he donated to Right to Play Canada. “I have been supporting Right to Play for my whole life because every kid deserves to play.” (His whole life! Love it!)
“I want to protect them.”
-Kendal (age 8)
Kendal’s sweet little heart raised $285 for The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada because, “Chimps are so smart and beautiful like humans! I want to protect them. The money we raise helps Jane Goodall give the chimps a safe and happy home.”
“I didn’t know kids could get cancer too and I felt scared and sad.”
-Teddy (age 8)
Teddy raised $260 for the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario. His gut-wrenching, empathy-filled reason why? “I saw a boy once and one of his eyes was missing. My mom told me he probably had cancer, like my grandmother. I didn’t know kids could get cancer too and I felt scared and sad. So, for my party I wanted the money to go to kids with cancer.”
Keep being you, kids. You’re giving all of us hope for the future.
Find out more about ECHOage here, and get $20 off with promo code SavvyParty20.
Tagged under: giving back,echoage,echoage party,Children's Hospitals,kids giving back,children's charities
Category: family-life
