Five minutes with 10-year-old Bella Curry left me a changed person. This short-haired, blonde little girl showed me—a 42-year-old mom of three—how to be a better person. Hanging out with this fifth grader truly left me speechless.
Bella Curry is a kid who so can.
But before I tell you about Bella, let’s talk about light and darkness. You know, the good and bad in the world and how it affects our kids.
Shootings.
Acts of terror.
Riots.
Heated politics.
Lately, I can hardly turn on the news or look at my social feed without seeing paralyzing headlines and comments.
My God, sometimes it feels like such an overload of scary stuff. What do our kids think? Are they seeing what we see, or, are my attempts at shielding them from all this darkness (much like I did when they were toddlers) good enough? Since my three children are now 10, 13 and 13, we do talk about the news, current events, and, yes, the bad stuff. I ask what they’ve seen, what they know, and what they think about it.
But I also want them to know that there’s also a lot of good in our world. Where there is dark, there must also exist light, right? The problem is, we don’t always hear, see, or read about it on the news or among our Twitter feed. The good news doesn’t often trend.
Here’s the thing: I feel like if we were to talk more about the good stuff, it could catch on. Call me an optimist, but I don’t buy all the headlines that our country or world isn’t great and that there aren’t great people who everyday make it even greater. Especially when it comes to kids. I believe, as the optimist would, that our kids are inherently good. They want to do good and so many of them are doing good. I want my kids to see this too. I want my kids to read about good kids doing even greater things.
There are kids all around us who SO can make a difference in our world. There are kids who SO can make an impact.
In hashtag terms, #KIDSSOCAN.
Ten-year-old Bella Curry, of Castle Hills Elementary in San Antonio, is one of these kids.
Bella, at the ripe age of six, created her own charity to help the homeless. Inspired and supported by her mom, Candice, Bella collects all the basic necessities of daily living such as soap, towels, toothbrushes, feminine products, and more, and delivers them to homeless communities. She calls it Bella’s Blessing Bins. Teachers, friends, churches, women’s groups, area businesses, and oftentimes complete strangers, drop off donations to Bella for her bins. Bella and her mom deliver the bins to area homeless communities.
Originally, Bella called her charity Bella’s Blessing Bags. But soon, bags weren’t big enough, so Bella changed her charity’s name to Bella’s Blessing Bins. Since Bella started Bella’s Blessing Bins four years ago, Bella’s mom estimates her daughter’s compassion for those who have less than she has helped hundreds of people.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Bella. By the end of our conversation, I found myself—a 42-year-mom-of-three—in complete awe of this young lady’s intelligence, impressed by her ability to express empathy, and inspired by her completely unselfish desire to help others. This isn’t a one-time service project. Bella’s Blessing Bins is a mission to change the world, from the hands of a young girl. Talking with Bella, you suddenly find yourself questioning whether you’ve done enough and wondering how you can be just a little more like her.
Bella tells me Bella’s Blessing Bins are most in need of towels and feminine hygiene items.
Meantime, do you know a kid like Bella—a kid who so can make a difference? Know of someone who is helping to shape the world around him/her in a more positive way? Let me know! Fill out this Google doc so I can possibly share his or her story on Alamo City Moms Blog.
Together, let’s show #KidsSOCan!
THANK YOU!! Erin, you did an amazing job on this. I am so thankful that God allowed me to be Bella’s mom.
THANK YOU!! Erin, you are amazing and did such a great job on this. I’m so proud to be Bella’s mom.