Last week I introduced you to Nicole Smith, who completed the Susan G. Komen 3-Day walk to end breast cancer. Well apparently the apple doesn’t fall too far the tree. Because this week’s Badge of Awesome goes to her son, Keagan, who recently celebrated his 10th birthday in a very awesome way.
Instead of the typical 10-year-old birthday party, Keagan asked his parents if they could host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for a family friend battling cancer. Keagan’s unusual-but-oh-so-awesome birthday request caught the attention of a local paper:
“Keagan Smith’s family is hosting a pasta dinner to raise money for his friend Josephine, who recently had her left leg and part of her hip and pelvis amputated. Josephine lives in Sweden and her father is also battling cancer. Like Canada, Sweden has universal health care but her mother and brother travel between two hospitals and the money will help pay for their expenses.” (Source: BlackburnNews.com)
The birthday party was a huge success with 70 people attending, raising $900 for Josephine. Not bad for a 10-year-old!
Helping others seems to be a part of the Smith family’s DNA. Keagan’s mom, Nicole, was recently named a Hometown Hero in Windsor for all the fundraising and work she does in the community. “I think people hesitate to get out and get involved,” Nicole says, “because they think it needs to be something big – or something huge, with a huge impact. But it’s the little things that mean the most.” (Source: Windsor This Week)
Keagan’s selfless birthday party is a great example of this philosophy. And I think teaching kids at an early age the value and importance of helping others sets them up for a lifetime of compassionate living.
Happy birthday Keagan! You’re awesome.
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