In this Bright Spot, Symone sits down with a pair of girls in Wynne, Arkansas whose curiosity gave them the courage to help others.
From the outside, Maggie McKnight and McKinley Wallis are your typical six-year-olds. The two are inseparable. They’re best friends that do practically everything together.
Maggie and McKinley are a lot like other kids because of what they like to do. What makes them stand out is just how much these six-year-olds think about others.
Their journey of curiosity and kindness started with a video.
“Yesterday morning I posted a video about what I’m going to do for our foster kids,” McKinley said.
After learning about foster families at Bible school, the two wanted to help the kids and parents in need of money and grocery donations.
“We had a challenge between girls and boys, and we bought snacks and money for foster kids,” Maggie said.
“And whoever brought the most money and the most snacks, wins. And us girls, win,” McKinley said.
Then, the donations started pouring in.
“We were happy. We were just surprised that we got that much,” the girls said.
The two raised 200 dollars, overnight. Long after the challenge ended, the videos and donations still kept coming.
“This week my goal is to collect 500 dollars for our local foster kids to refill their snack pantries,” McKinley said on her video.
Maggie Peeler is a foster care coordinator in northeast Arkansas. She said the need isn’t always filled with a foster home.
“It doesn’t take a grownup. It doesn’t take having to have a lot,” Peeler said.
It’s filled with small and large donations. Little to Big tasks that bring children and their birth families, one step closer together.
“We try to work with those biological families and work towards to be able to reunify children to their birth families,” Peeler said.
The minds of Maggie and McKinley are still moving. Even after raising over $1700 to provide 18 families in Cross County with snacks, paper products, laundry goods and toiletries, they still plan on doing more.
“We were like, asking our mom over and over every single day to know when we are going to go get snacks,” McKinley said.
These two are excited to keep the giving going. Because after all, they realize their donations are helping kids. With their own best friends and own moving minds… Just like them.
“We’re hoping we should do this again, for like, Christmas. And we hope to get to 2 thousand dollars,” McKinley said.
If you’d like to donate to help Maggie and McKinley, they are accepting payments via CashApp or regular mail.
You can make donations on CashApp @jenwallis84 or sending a letter to PO BOX 1204 in Wynne AR 72396.
If you’d like to reach out via Facebook, contact Jen Bohonek Wallis, @Jenbohonekwallis.
If you know someone or some organization making a difference, feel free to reach out to Symone on social media or send her an email.
