Kids and families lend a hand with Little Helpers
Little Helpers, a charitable group in Castle Pines aimed at teaching community service to children, donated thousands of pairs of socks and underwear to the Shiloh House in Littleton.
By Lisa Crockett; photo courtesy of Courtney Pallotta
A group of families in Castle Pines has started a chapter of a national charity called “Little Helpers” aimed at teaching young children the value of contributing to their communities.
Little Helpers was founded in 2010 in Memphis, Tennessee, by three moms who wanted to teach their kids about the value of service. At that time, Castle Pines resident Renee Adam and her family lived in Memphis and participated in several Little Helpers projects stocking local food pantries, visiting residents in a nursing home, and making cards for soldiers.
“This is really all about teaching kids to give back, to make this a part of their lives,” said Adam. “We look for things kids can help with from a very young age.”
Adam moved from Memphis to Castle Pines and brought the Little Helpers philosophy with her. In January, the South Denver chapter of Little Helpers, founded by Adam and friends Courtney Pallotta and Lorien Anderson, completed its first project, a sock and underwear collection called “Toes and Tushies.” Aided by students and families at the American Academy campuses in Castle Pines and Parker, Little Helpers collected more than 1,000 pairs of socks and hundreds of packages of underwear. The clothing was given to residents at Littleton’s Shiloh House, an organization dedicated to serving the needs of youth and families dealing with abuse, trauma and neglect.
“We made signs, collected donations, sorted them, and then delivered them to the Shiloh House,” said Adam. “Some of the kids got to come with us for the delivery and meet the administrators and some of the residents. It’s a great way to come together as a community.”
Going forward, Little Helpers in South Denver, which is one of seven chapters that have spread from the original group in Memphis, plans to host a service event every other month.
“These projects don’t take a lot of planning, are low pressure, and usually aren’t a huge time commitment,” said Adam. “We will put the projects up on our Facebook page and welcome the community to join us and give their kids an opportunity to help.”
For more information about Little Helpers, visit their Facebook page http://bit.ly/1vUmjdB.
