Be Inspired

Last week, The B Fund featured Sam in our “Be Inspired” feature, and in June, we featured his brother, Ben. Get to know Jessica, their mom, who is also one of The B Fund’s board members! She was instrumental in helping Ben successfully chair his Be Bag drive by assisting in assembling the bags and communicating with parents, and she also helped Sam to mail his letters and reach out to community members. Most importantly, Jess is an inspiration for aiming to raise her children with the empathy and compassion to think of these projects in the first place.

Jessica decided to share some of her thoughts on Ben’s project with The B Fund. “My son Ben just turned 10 years old and he did something amazing for his birthday,” she writes, “He decided to make his birthday about giving back and involving his entire class in philanthropy!”

Ben’s parents and teacher fully supported his inspiring decision to use his birthday to give back. However, Jessica was initially concerned that perhaps Ben wouldn’t receive enough donations for his project:

“I got a few responses from parents who were really excited that Ben was doing this project with the class and praised his efforts. I was very proud of Ben for putting himself out there and asking his class to participate in something very personal for him. As a mom, part of me was really nervous that no one would send in any items and I didn’t want Ben to feel disappointment… however, I followed his lead and adopted a positive attitude and hoped for the best!”

Fortunately for Ben and Jessica, her worries were quickly assuaged when Ben’s birthday arrived. “I wasn’t sure what to expect when my husband and I went into Ben’s classroom on his birthday, and I was shocked to see how enthusiastic his class had been about sending in supplies and offering their support! The class was extremely generous – there were boxes upon boxes of markers, crayons, paper, and other fun little items to include in the bags,” Jessica reflects, “It was so heartwarming to see the support for Ben and for this project!” Ultimately, Ben not only created the 25 Be Bags he set out to make – he doubled his goal and created 50!

In addition to The B Fund, Jessica has been involved with Combined Jewish Philanthropies (aka CJP, Boston’s Jewish Federation) for several years in many capacities. She is also an active volunteer at her three children’s schools. Jessica is particularly drawn to organizations that focus on the international Jewish community, hunger relief, and health care.

Fun facts about Jessica:

• If Jessica’s friends had to describe her in three words, they would say that she is kind, clever, and loyal.
• Her favorite movie is Grease!
• If she had an hour to herself, she would spend it reading.
• Her favorite toy as a child were Jacks.
• Her favorite app is ATP/WPA Live

When asked why it is important to help others, Jessica wrote, “It is important to help others because it is just the right thing to do. I have the time, energy and ability to help others, so therefore, I feel that I must do it. Not only does it feel good to help people, it is important to set an example and hopefully inspire friends, family and my community to also take action and give back or give help.”

We ask The B Fund kids how they will make a difference in this world by asking them to reflect on the question, “What will you be?” Jessica completed this sentence by pledging to be generous.

Jessica is a wonderful example of The B Fund’s mission. She has provided her children with all of the tools they need to become kind, generous, civically engaged citizens, and she continues to work to promote these values through her work with The B Fund and beyond!
Do you know someone who’s been an inspiration in your life? Nominate them to be featured for our “Be Inspired” piece! Email us at info@thebfund.org for more information.

Meet Sam! He is smart, interesting, and kind.

Sam has been involved with The B Fund since its founding in 2014. Throughout the past three years, he has been an active participant in many of The B Fund’s signature events, including the Halloween Candy Drive, Lemon-AID Stands, Walk-a-thons, and much more! These events have instilled in Sam a desire to help others, especially critically ill children and their families.

Sam had so much fun giving back with The B Fund that he wanted to spread the word so that others could get involved, too. Using his writing talents, this 11-year-old wrote letters to several local business leaders to invite them to get involved with The B Fund! He decided to address his outreach letters to the CEO of Massport, the CEO of Delta Airlines, and the Manager of the Four Seasons in Boston.

This outreach got Sam thinking about different ways that he can continue his involvement throughout the year, and he and his brothers are hoping to start an apple picking event in the fall to help raise awareness and funds for The B Fund!

So who is Sam? Here are some fun facts about this thoughtful boy:

• Sam’s favorite color is blue.
• His favorite food is sushi.
• His favorite movie is Pirates of the Caribbean.
• His favorite toy is his deck of cards.
• His favorite songs are from the Hamilton soundtrack!

In all of Sam’s work with The B Fund, he has served as a wonderful role model for other children looking to use their time, talents, and treasures to help others. Thanks to his outreach efforts, more individuals have learned about The B Fund from the perspective of a child participant.
Do you know a child who’s performing acts of kindness? Nominate them for our “Be Inspired” feature! Email us at info@thebfund.org to learn more.

Meet Joshua! He is determined, funny, and kind.

When life handed Joshua lemons, he didn’t just make Lemon-AID. In fact, this 7-year-old also delivered the Lemon-AID to his elderly neighbors, collected 100 handmade get-well cards, AND raised over $100 for critically ill children and their families! This brave child just can’t be stopped!

When Joshua’s family reached out to The B Fund at the beginning of the year, we were simply inspired by the determination and kindness that both Joshua and his family showed in their philanthropic efforts. They visit Boston each year for Joshua’s treatments, but they also wanted to use this time to give back to other families going through similar experiences.

Joshua and his family decided to be involved by donating cards to our Be Bag drive and hosting a Lemon-AID Stand in their neighborhood.

Our overall goal for the Be Bag drive was to create 100 bags, and Joshua’s family alone contributed 100 handmade get-well cards by reaching out to local schools and girl scout troops in their native Williamsburg, VA! Joshua hand-delivered these cards to The B Fund on June 28, 2017, and his happiness was contagious!

When Joshua returned home, he continued his acts of giving by hosting a Lemon-AID stand. At first, he wasn’t getting much foot traffic due to the hot Virginia weather, but that didn’t stop this little boy from finding a way to make a difference! He decided to go door-to-door to drop off his refreshing Lemon-AID to his neighbors, many of whom were elderly and weren’t able to make it outside.

His mother also notes that this experience was a wonderful teaching moment for their family: “Although Josh was frustrated, the experience gave us the opportunity to discuss with him that life does not always go as planned, but when it doesn’t, it helps us feel better to do something kind, and when in your power to do so always keep your word.”

His kindness certainly paid off – his efforts raised over $100 for critically ill children and their families!

So who is Joshua? Here are some fun facts about this incredible boy:

• His favorite color is green.
  
• His favorite food are apples.
• Jurassic Park is his favorite movie.
• His all-time favorite toy is his fishing pole.
• His favorite song is “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion.
• When he grows up, he wants to be an archeologist.

In 2017, Joshua has made a pledge to BE kind!

Do you know a child who’s performing acts of kindness? Nominate them for our “Be Inspired” feature! Email us at info@thebfund.org to learn more.

For some little girls, their long, beautiful hair is one of their most prized treasures. It takes a really special child to realize that something as simple as a haircut can be a gift to a child in need!

This week, The B Fund is highlighting Carly, a 7-and-a-half-year-old who decided to donate her hair. She wanted to help out kids with cancer, so she decided her hair was the perfect way to use her time, talents, and treasures to help others! Carly was able to give eight inches of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

For this program, Pantene partners with The American Cancer Society to accept 8-inch hair donations to create wigs for women battling cancer. To date, Pantene has received over 800,000 ponytails of hair to make wigs!

So who is this incredible child? Here are some fun facts about Carly!

• Carly’s favorite color is light blue.
• Her favorite food is yogurt.
• Her favorite movie is High School Musical and her favorite song is Fabulous!
• When she’s not performing acts of kindness, you can find Carly playing with her favorite toy, Splat Balls.
• The three words that Carly would use to describe herself are funny, kind, and independent.
• When she grows up, she wants to be a school teacher.

Carly’s decision to donate her hair demonstrates The B Fund’s mission to use one’s time, talents, and treasures to help children in need. Not only did she help a child with cancer, but she made a personal sacrifice of her own hair to do so. Her selflessness is an inspiration to us all.

Do you know a child who’s performing acts of kindness? Nominate them for our “Be Inspired” feature! Email us at info@thebfund.org to learn more.