Emilee Prado
Michelle Carter has lived a lot of places. She was born in Arizona, raised in Georgia, attended college in Las Vegas and met her husband in Virginia Beach, so it’s safe to say Michelle has experienced many walks of life. But nothing could prepare her for when she came to Tennessee and met the Little Helpers, a volunteer organization that, in their own words, helps kids help others. Since starting her own chapter in the Metroplex, Michelle has enjoyed all of the experiences she’s shared with children — not to mention witnessing the example it has set for her own two daughters.
I FIRST HEARD ABOUT LITTLE HELPERS... from Facebook. When my daughter was three, I saw it and I wanted to help, so we started volunteering. We didn’t do as much volunteering then as I would have liked, but that’s where I got started. That was my first introduction to Little Helpers.
ONE OF THE FIRST EVENTS I WENT TO... was visiting the fire department for September 11th’s anniversary. Being alive during that time, I wanted to bring my daughter to the fire department to thank them. We would bring treats: cookies, Gatorade, anything and everything we wanted. The kids would make thank you cards, and we would all meet out front, go into the firehouse and give everything to them. The firemen were always so open and loving. They would bring us in, give us a tour of the fire station, interact with the kids and take pictures of them on the firetruck. It was tons of fun.
WE MOVED TO TEXAS... in 2016. We lived out in Memphis for seven years, and we moved out here for my husband’s job. My oldest daughter and I were looking for ways to help with the community, and she mentioned starting a chapter out here. I thought about it for a while. It was kind of scary to think about.
AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY HIT... my daughter and I were thinking what could we do; How could we help? And we were like, ‘Well, why don’t we just start a chapter here?’ I was able to talk to the founder of Little Helpers, Tran Smith, and we just decided to go ahead and do it. I posted on the Southlake Moms and Colleyville Moms Facebook groups, and I asked for help. I was like, ‘If I do this, would anybody be interested?’ My phone was blowing up. It was out of control. I was like, ‘That’s it, we’re doing it.’
OUR FIRST EVENT WAS... providing Thanksgiving meals to Christ’s Haven for Children. We also did the bell ringing for the Salvation Army in front of Market Street. We earned over $1,000 in one day. We were told we were one of the highest-grossing days that they had. Nobody could tell those kids no. We were having people pulling their cars over in front of Market Street, basically throwing money at the kids. They were cute, laughing, everyone was all dressed up. It was amazing.
I LIKE EVENTS... where we do a big thing together. The Clubhouse For Special Needs and nursing home visits tend to be my favorites because there’s hands-on interaction where the kids get to do stuff. We probably support about 12 organizations or so throughout the year. We try to keep a variety of events and causes. They’re all special.
WE’VE SEEN... growth in our events and in the amount of people that join us. Every month, we get to see our regulars and new people coming to our events. I feel like we’re making a difference with the kids in the world. Even my little 5-year-old wants to help out and give back.
MY DAUGHTERS... inspire me a lot. We actually adopted an area right in front of the lakefront at Lake Grapevine because my oldest wanted to pick up trash. It cracks me up how much the kids love picking up trash. Give them the grabbers, and they love it. My youngest daughter actually spent two hours there cleaning up with her friends, and they had a blast. Both of my daughters get involved and like to give me ideas. I have very kind children.
WE SEE SO MUCH... in this world that’s bad. Even if it’s piece by piece and little by little, I want the kids to be able to see goodness in the world and how they can help. They’re our future leaders. I tell my daughter all the time, you’re our future. What do you want to do? I hope these kids can take some of what they’re doing in their volunteer work to create a better community.