Great Lakes Credit Union and Little Lake County are proud to bring you Kirby Kids: Kids. Doing. Good. This program recognizes a child each month that is doing good in their community and brings you their stories of determination, hope and goodwill.
Sometimes making a difference only takes two determined girls who decide to take action. That is exactly what happened on one dark, windy day in March. The winds had been high for two days, and the second day happened to be garbage pick-up day in a small, Lake County community. Unfortunately, the combination of high winds and trash was taking its toll outside, and trash flew everywhere. Entire garbage cans had been swept away, only to be stopped by barriers in the neighborhood and had begun to pile up. Things were a mess, and the winds were not letting up. When Kate arrived home from school and saw what her neighborhood looked like, she knew that she had to do something. She was so bothered by the mess outside that she told her mom she needed to help out. She and her mother grabbed gloves and garbage bags, and proceeded outside to begin the intense clean up.
Some time later, after many piles of soggy newspapers, plastic jugs, cans and other miscellaneous trash had been collected, Kate’s mom had to go back inside to take care of some other responsibilities. Although they had covered a lot of ground and made some headway cleaning up the neighborhood, there was still so much more to do. Kate was not finished with the task at hand, so she called upon her good friend Madison to help her. Madison, who was every bit as determined as Kate, headed outside immediately, ready to help out as much as possible. It was cold and wet outside, but this did not stop the two young girls from bundling up in coats and hats, and heading out with several garbage bags, ready to be filled.
The girls proceeded to spend over two hours cleaning up Madison’s side of the neighborhood and the nearby park. They filled many bags, and helped restore the neighborhood to its former self by cleaning the garbage that had blown around. The girls worked tirelessly to make a difference in their community.
This is not the first glimpse into both girls wanting to help out. They are both very passionate about the environment, and love helping people and animals. They both have a lot of respect for the beauty of the outdoors, and show it in their daily actions. Kate had always shown an interest in keeping the earth beautiful by insisting that her mother pick up bits of litter that she saw outside when she was younger. This year, the first item on her birthday list was garden bulbs. She then spent an entire day planting more than fifty bulbs that she had received for her birthday. The fruits of her labor were evident when the flowers bloomed, and she saw her yard filled with daffodils and tulips that she had planted.
Despite their eagerness to take action in their community, when they are not out saving the environment, both girls enjoy the activities of most ten year old girls. Madison loves to draw, swim, and play soccer, while Kate loves to play softball, tennis and basketball. Kate loves being active and was a competitive gymnast until this year. Both girls love to read, and love to help out in their community. They have a passion for helping others which is evident in their dreams for the future. While Madison dreams of being a teacher to help students grow and learn, Kate yearns to work in a zoo where she can help animals.
Both girls believe that if everyone helped out a little, the world could be an incredibly beautiful place. Madison shares the advice that if we could all just do one good deed a day, it could have a profound effect in the community. Kate wants everyone to care for their community that they live in. She encourages everyone to pick up litter if they see it on the ground, and if they have an opportunity to plant a tree or flowers, to do it! The girls know that we can preserve the beauty of our communities by all pitching in, thereby making the world a better place to live.
Each and every one of our Kirby Kids gets to meet Kirby the Kangaroo at their local Great Lakes Credit Union branch. Kirby met Madison and Kate at their local Round Lake Beach Branch, and opened up a youth savings account in each of their names with a $100 starting balance, courtesy of Great Lakes Credit Union.
Do you know an inspirational, courageous or exceptional young person living in Lake County, (age 15 or younger) who is serving as a role model in his or her community? Help us recognize these big hearts! Nominate a child for the Kirby Kids program.
Follow this link to complete a nomination form. If your nominee is selected we will contact you and/or the child’s guardian for inclusion in the Kirby Kids program.
For more information about the Kirby Kids, read our program introduction.
Leave a Reply