Maggie’s Money
A few weeks ago we were asked to share our work with a group of teenagers in Albertville, AL. It wasn’t a large group, we didn’t have much time, and we weren’t really sure if we had impacted them at all… that is, until one 13 year old student found us as we were leaving.
Her name was Maggie. I assumed maybe she had some questions, or that perhaps she wanted to say a polite goodbye. That is, until I saw her wallet in her hand.
What happened next will impact me for years. I watched as this teen opened her wallet and handed me a $20 bill. “Twenty dollars!” I thought, “That’s a lot of money for a 13 year old to give!”. But she wasn’t done. Next, she handed me another $20… then a $10… then a handful of other bills. My eyes began to fill with tears as she took every single bill out of her wallet and put it into my hands. Then she paused, looked inside, and even dumped the change out – every last penny – and handed it to me.
She gave me $70.55.
“It’s for the girls in Thailand… or… really… anything you need it for,” she said. “I just want to help.”
This little girl had been listening as we shared stories of girls just like her, half a world away. She had watched our videos and looked at their pictures, and she had been moved. Her response was simple – she wanted to help as much as she could, so she gave everything she had to give.
I don’t know how she got the money, but I know that $70 is a lot of money to a 13 year old. I can only imagine she had been saving it for a while… maybe from her birthday, Christmas, or even an allowance over time. I’m quite sure she had something special she wanted to spent it on. But that day she gave it all willingly to make sure that another 13 year old girl in Thailand would be safe, and loved, and cared for.
Maggie’s generosity really inspired me, and I hope as you’re reading this, you’re feeling inspired too! You see, the children we care for have a lot of needs, but we believe one of the most important things we can do is to make sure they all get an education. School fees are expensive overseas, and many children never get an opportunity to attend. But we know that the gift of education can make all the difference for a child in poverty!
Next month our kids in Thailand and Burma will start back to school, which means they’ll need school fees, uniforms, and supplies for the upcoming school year. We’ve already raised $4,000 to put all 8 of our girls in Thailand in school for 1 year, but we still need $2,800 to put our 7 students from Burma in school for 1 year.
It costs just $400 to put one of our kids from Burma in school for a year. This covers all their school fees, supplies, and the uniforms they’ll need for this year. Education changes everything for children in poverty. Your donation could help these teens reach their dreams!
Will you give $400 to put one of our kids from Burma in school this year?
How about $200 to buy one student a uniform?
Will you match Maggie’s $70.55 gift?
Even $50 or $25 will help us meet this need!
13 year old Maggie emptied her wallet to help these children. What will YOU give?
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