Today is December 1st and the beginning of our 2nd annual 25 Days of Giving. Our task for the day was to give children balloons. A very simple gesture that can instantly bring a smile to face of a child. We saw that firsthand today.
We gave balloons away at Spiece Fieldhouse, the ice rink downtown, Menards, and Meijer. At each location, the smiles were big and bright. The child recipients smiled and so did their parents. We had given out 11 of our 12 balloons and we were struggling to find a child for the last balloon. We had pulled into the Meijer parking lot and we circled a few times. No kids. It was hard to believe, but all of the shoppers leaving the store were adults. Finally, we saw a mother and son walking towards their car, hand in hand. We stopped the car, I jumped out, and approached them. As I walked up the little boy said “Wow! A balloon!” I asked him if he would like it (after I got confirmation from mom that it was okay) and he said “Wow! A balloon!” The smile on his face could have lit up a Christmas tree. He just stared at the balloon as I put it into his hand. His mother grinned from ear to ear and thanked me multiple times in just a few seconds. The moment totally melted my heart. This youngster had Down Syndrome and I will remember the look on his face forever.
The 25 Days of Giving is off to a great start. Tomorrow is Day 2 and we will be making a clothing donation. We encourage you to go through your closet and find some clothes to donate. There are great nonprofit organizations and clothing banks in your area that could greatly benefit from your gift.
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