Chelsea Phaire is a 10-year-old from Danbury, Connecticut with a large, large heart.
And why do we say that?
To boost the morale of other less fortunate children and to spread some cheer during the coronavirus pandemic, Chelsea has sent art kits to over 1,500 children in foster care homes and shelters!
The kits contain paper, colouring books, crayons, markers, colouring pencils, and gel pens, among other stationery. And they have been dispatched to shelters across the United States through Chelsea’s Charity, a charitable organization initiated by Chelsea and her parents last year.
“Since she was seven, she was begging me and her dad to start a charity,” Candace Phaire, Chelsea’s mom, told CNN.
“She was so persistent, every couple of months she would ask, ‘Are we starting Chelsea’s Charity yet?’ When she was turning 10, she asked us again, and we decided it was time to go for it.”
So, last year on her 10th birthday, Chelsea asked her guests to donate art supplies to the charity instead of birthday presents for her.
And after the birthday party, Chelsea dispatched her first set of 40 art kits to a homeless shelter in New York.
From then on, there was no turning back for Chelsea and the charity. In a mere five months since the charity was set up, Chelsea was able to send an astounding 1,000 art kits to the less privileged children!
And why does Chelsea appreciate arts and colours so much? When Chelsea was 8, she lost her swimming instructor to gun violence. This was a massive loss for her as she was extremely close to her instructor. She realized that art was therapeutic and it helped her cope with this massive loss.
Before the pandemic, Chelsea and her mother were able to travel around and meet the children. However, with social distancing norms, they are mailing the kits to children. And until now, they have sent over 1,500 kits to children across 12 states in the United States.
“I feel good inside knowing how happy they are when they get their art kits,” Chelsea told CNN. “I have definitely grown as a person because of this. Now my dream is to meet every kid in the entire world and give them art. Who knows, maybe if we do that and then our kids do that, we’ll have world peace!”
What profound words from such a small child. Chelsea is really special! Do you agree? Let us know your views in the comments section below.
