Brother/Sister Act (of Generosity)
I have a brother and a sister. Growing up, we fought. We played. We got into trouble. We did just about everything together, but one thing we didn’t do was combine our birthday parties and ask people to give money for orphaned and abandoned children. Who would do that? Emerie and Owen Peterson, that’s who.
Emerie (7 today!) and Owen (5, last month) picked a date in the middle of their birthdays and threw a swim party birthday bash. Combining your party with your brother or sister is a good idea. Having a party to help someone else at the same time is a great one. As a result of their asking people to give to orphaned and abandoned children in lieu of bringing them a present, one child will go to school for a year!
It’s difficult for us to imagine that not all children will have the opportunity to go to school and learn, but that’s reality. Around the world, more kids than we want to admit can’t afford an education. Instead of learning the 3Rs, they will work tough jobs and long days. They’re locked out. Thanks to Emerie and Owen, one child, maybe just about their age, is “in” — not out — as school starts this fall, and that’s enough to make anyone smile.