The Ripple Effect

The Ripple Effect

Jennifer Lane of Westville never imagined the ripple effect that would be created from what started out as a difficult conversation with her 10-year-old son, Carson. Because of some unfortunate circumstances in their life, Jennifer had to tell Carson that he would not be getting as much for Christmas this year. But instead of disappointment, Carson responded in an unexpected way–a selfless way. He didn’t think about himself. Instead, he thought about kids who would not get any presents at Christmas or spend time with their moms or dads. Carson told his mom that he felt sad for those kids.

Jennifer used the moment to share about youth who live in foster care and told Carson that they could buy gifts for a child that doesn’t have much. But that wasn’t good enough for Carson. He told his mom he was worried about all the kids. So Jennifer reached out to Cunningham Children’s Home to see how they could do more and then she posted this to Facebook: “So what are we going to do? We are going to try to give those kids the best Christmas we can.”

Soon, Jennifer and Carson shared Cunningham’s Christmas wish list with friends and family. Their hope was to make the holidays special for 12 kids. But that number grew and grew quickly until something truly beautiful happened.

“WE DID IT!! ALL 60 KIDS ARE GETTING GIFTS!!!!” Jennifer shared with her Facebook friends on December 8. “Not only did you guys make Carson's Christmas wish come true, you granted 60 kids wishes that may not have happened otherwise! Carson, John and I will deliver gifts to Cunningham Children’s Home on Wednesday and on Thursday Stephanie and I will be going back to help wrap them and we will also get to help the kids pick out secret Santa gifts for a gift exchange amongst themselves! Friends, family and strangers came together to make this possible! YOU ALL ARE AMAZING!!! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!”

In the midst of a challenging time, Jennifer and Carson decided to be generous. They thought outside of themselves and gave of their time to make Christmas special for the remarkable youth at Cunningham. They sent waves of generosity to others who became part of the holiday cheer. And Carson saw his wish come true. From this Christmas forward, our kids will remember that someone who they may never know, thought of them. Waves of hope have been passed on.