ROCKFORD, Mich., — Two fourth graders in Rockford took a small classroom assignment and turned it into a big effort to “pay it forward” to foster kids and their families.
Kenzie Tanis and her best friend Sophie Dault teamed up to start a donation drive for Bethany Christian Services.
“Our teacher gave us $2 dollars and she said make a difference in the world,” explained Tanis. The 10-year-old told FOX 17 she was inspired by her younger foster-brother to help the non-profit adoption and family service agency.
Together the two girls decided to collect new toys for the facility’s visiting rooms.
“[My foster-brother] always used to go to Bethany and sometimes the markers were dried out, or the coloring books were broke, ripped up and used,” Tanis told FOX 17 News. “My mom posted [the project] on Facebook and we got a lot of money, we had a lot of toys.”
After a few weeks, the girls had collected plenty of items to drop off.
“I was blown away by how much stuff that we gathered,” said Linda Tanis, Kenzie’s mom. “We had our surburban, the entire back-end of the suburban filled.”
“It was amazing, and I was very proud of both the girls for their efforts,” added Kara Dault, Sophia’s mom. “It really just warmed my heart.”
Both girls went along for the drop-off and were proud of all their hard work. Officials at Bethany Christian Services said the timing could not have been better.
“It actually came at the perfect time,” explained Hollie Hosford, Bethany Foster Care Program Manager.”It’s just great to see those kids now see the new toys and have something to do.”
Kenzie and Sophia say they would like to “pay it forward” to Bethany Christian Services again in the future.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still make a difference,” said Sophia Dault. “We didn’t get a grade, but I think if we did, we probably would have gotten an ‘A'”.