ShawneeDispatch.com

Six-year-old Olivia Schroeder has a big heart.

The first-grader from Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Shawnee saw footage of the earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 14. A week later with the help of her parents, community members and managers of local stores, Olivia and her Daisy troop friends made 251 care kits for Heart to Heart International.

“Last Thursday my daughter Olivia and son Colin and I were laying in bed watching the news images of people in Haiti, and my daughter asked what can we do to help,” Melissa Schroeder said. “I said, ‘We need to pray for them.’ But the next morning I was refreshed and thought it was a great teaching moment.”

Melissa Schroeder then contacted different organizations to see what could be done to help in Haiti.

Most organizations were looking for monetary donations, but Heart to Heart was asking for care kits comprised of soap, towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, Band-Aids, shampoo and other essentials.

Melissa’s goal was for the troop to collect enough supplies to make 35 to 40 kits.

However, after word of the project got out, parents donated supplies and funds to purchase the supplies.

“As of Tuesday (Jan. 19) morning we had enough for 150 kits,” Schroeder said. “After school Tuesday we ended up almost doubling that number.”

Schroeder enlisted the help of Dollar General manager Matt Campbell in locating supplies.

“Matt and his wife, Patty, spent their day off going to all the Dollar General stores to secure the 2,500 items needed,” Schroeder said.

Schroeder also challenged the Shawnee Mission Parkway Wal-Mart to find additional soap dishes. The company’s warehouse in Ottawa was wiped out after Schroeder received 70 dishes.

“Our number one goal was to help the people in Haiti,” Schroeder said. “The second goal was to teach the girls a life long lesson that one person can make a difference. One little girl can light the fire and our whole parish got behind it.”

The girls had no problem spreading the word about their cause.

“The little Daisies got home from school and started talking to people,” Schroeder said. “Olivia hit up grandpa, and a lot of the other girls did the same. Moms e-mailed and asked neighbors. After school Friday (Jan. 15) the girls held a sign asking people donate to the kits. On the lower elementary side, every car gave to the girls.”

Olivia said she liked helping the people in Haiti.

“They really need us,” she said. “And it feels good to help.”

Grace Schirts, first grader, said the people of Haiti really needed help after the earthquake.

“We saw it on the news and we really need to help them because they are our brothers and sisters,” she said. “We are giving them stuff because they are our family and Jesus told us to give and share with everybody.”

The girls also included a prayer of encouragement in each care kit, Schroeder said.

“We want them to know that we aren’t going to give up and we are going to try and continue to make sure the word gets out that they need help,” she said.

Janet Mason, Heart to Heart International head volunteer, said it was nice to see the youths involved in raising awareness about Haiti.

“This is a great hands-on thing for them to do and they feel like they are doing something for Haiti,” she said. “The kits definitely make a difference.”

Mason said Heart to Heart is still collecting items for care kits, especially shampoo and wide-tooth combs.

Anyone wanting to help can call Heart to Heart at (913) 764-5200 or visit online at hearttoheart.org.

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