Dollar by Dollar, Dime by Dime

Little ones with big hearts help relief efforts

“Big winds and lots of rain.” This is the way a group of worried children in a Berryville, Va., daycare center described the hurricane footage they were seeing on the news. The staff at the Heritage Child Development Center responded by showing youngsters that they could help by organizing a fundraiser for Project HOPE’s hurricane relief efforts.

Dollar by dollar, dime by dime, little ones learned they can make a difference.

“We did a ‘Spirit Week’ and each day the children would dress in a fun way,” said Lynn George, Site Supervisor for the center. “They would pay a dollar per day to participate. We also had a competition between classrooms. Each class had a water bottle and the goal was to fill it with dimes.”

Participants included about 50 children from four months to four years old, along with 17 staff members – and of course the children’s parents.

“The children loved being able to have PJ Day and Super Hero Day,” said George. “One 4-year-old said he wanted to help everyone by giving everything in his piggy bank.”

Concerns came in the form of questions about the incredible winds they were seeing on television news footage and what would happen to their own homes if the wind traveled to their town.

“We focused on the positive,” said George. “We did let the older guys know the hurricanes did have lots of wind and rain and some of the houses got water in them, but that their money is going to help those families.”

Lynn Jennings, HOPE’s Senior Director, Institutional Giving and Partnerships, accepted the donation on behalf of Project HOPE.

George says this is the second fundraiser the center has done for Project HOPE. “Getting medical help to the victims of natural disasters is so important.”