Thanks to the family volunteer group Little Helpers, local kids are proving that their actions can make a difference. And you can help them enhance their impact by swinging by their lemonade stand at Southlake’s Toy Maven on July 23 until 2 p.m.
The Dallas Fort Worth chapter is giving out free lemonade while asking for donations for the Humane Society of North Texas. But that’s not all they are doing.
The lemonade stand is part of a larger Kindness Camp hosted by Little Helpers. On Monday, the group gathered at Palio’s Pizza Café in Colleyville to make dog and cat toys for local shelters. On Wednesday, Little Helpers will be heading out to Lake Grapevine to clean up the park and do some yoga to make it fun for everyone.
The Kindness Camp continues into Thursday when the kids will make cards for refugees studying at a school in Greece and on Friday when they will create kindness rocks to plant around the community. The week concludes on Saturday when Little Helpers will partner with RAICES, a nonprofit that offers free and low-cost legal services to immigrant children, families and refugees, to create bracelets for the children on the southern border.
The chapter's volunteer coordinator Michelle Carter says she hopes to teach children of all ages the importance of helping others.
“Our goal is to give kids activities to make this world better,” Michelle says. “It doesn’t matter how little they are. They can come and participate.”
Little Helper’s Dallas Fort Worth chapter was founded a little over a year ago once Michelle moved to the area. Michelle was a part of the Memphis chapter, where Little Helpers originated, before moving to Texas, and she wanted to bring their mission to the Metroplex.
This week is an accumulation of months of planning. Back in November, Michelle had the kids who were participating vote for which charity and nonprofit groups they wanted to benefit through the week, and it was the kids who picked the local shelters.
“Kids do love animals,” Michelle says.
While it is not common for the group to provide daily volunteer opportunities, Little Helpers does host monthly “kindness service projects.”
“Our goal is to make the world better,” Michelle says. “This gives us an opportunity to give back.”
Whether you stop by the Toy Maven before 2 p.m. or join in the fun of this kindness movement, you too can make a difference with Little Helpers. Learn more about the group on their Facebook page.