The Birthday Girl Gives Back

We all live together in this not-so-perfect world. We hear of those that are homeless and hungry and yet, we manage to give back so little! I was raised by a wonderful man that taught me the importance of giving back. I watched him donate his time, him money and his encouragement to families and less fortunate children my entire life!! As I have gotten older I now appreciate these values so much more. I am lucky to be married to a man who too loves helping others. We try our hardest to help those in needs and we make it a priority to dedicate ourselves to several projects each year!! When it came time to talk about Gray's birthday party we decided that she didn't need the toys...and what a great opportunity this was to start teaching her the lesson of giving to others. We found a local organization called Smart Start and found they were in need of childrens books. In lieu of gifts we asked each child bring a childrens book to Gray's Ice Cream party. All books were donated to Smart Start, an organization that is dedicated to helping less fortunate families and children in the Charlotte area. It feels so good to help others and as parents it feels so good to have your child be involved. Of course she's young - she really didn't understand but one day she will... and what a wonderful story to share. Marble Slab Ice Creamery did a great job with an ice cream and toppings bar!! The kids had five flavors and eight toppings to choose from.

Here is a shot of all the kids, each holding one of the books donated to Smart Start. Gray is a lucky girl with amazing friends!!

And here she is... the birthday girl and her basket of books ready to donate!!