Power of One: Local Mom Teaches Daughters Spirit of Giving

JACKSONVILLE, FL - December 16, 2008 - In this season of gift giving and store sales, it's easy for kids to get caught up in the commercialization of the holidays.

That's why I thought, "What a great idea!" when I was told about local mom Darby Exley and her quest to have her girls experience the true spirit of giving.

Darby took 8-year-old Saige and her 10-year-old sister Leanna to Community Connections; a non-profit organization that helps house the homeless.

The girls had a blast hanging out with the kids living there, many of whom are younger than them but already understand some very adult concepts.

In my story you can watch right here on this web page, Darby and Saige met us at Community Connections to show news photographer Mike Bunker and me what they experienced.

"When we got here, we were really excited," Saige explains, "but then I was sad."

When I asked why, Saige's entire demeanor changed.

"Because they don't have a bed, they sleep with towels not blankets, and they have no shampoo..." her voice trailing off as Saige recalls her special visit, "and we have so much stuff and they don't."

"It's touched both of these girls' hearts," mom says with a smile as Saige is distracted by a 4-year-old coloring at a nearby table.

A half hour.

That's how long Saige and Leanna spent with the kids at Community Connections.

Doesn't sound very long, but it was just enough to get these girls thinking about what they could do to make their new young friends' Christmas as joyful as their own.

That's when mom stepped in.

"We called my mom and just started calling all our friends," Darby says excitedly.

"We told them what we wanted to do and everybody just started passing the word."

That word was a list of all the different items the kids at Community Connections need: various toiletries, clothes, bed sheets.

Click here for a look at their complete "wish list".

In the end, Darby and her girls collected enough supplies to sponsor nearly 40 children at the center.

Greg Frazier with Community Connections couldn't have asked for a better holiday gift.

"It's about more than just taking care of people in need," he says of Community Connections' services. "It's about teaching another generation to take care of people in need as well."

Mom Darby Exley's doing her part.

"It feels good to give," Darby admits, "It's very rewarding."

"Most of these kids [at Community Connections] aren't going to have a Christmas, and some of them haven't had a Christmas for a long time," Saige adds.

"And now ... they're gonna have one," she says. "There's a lot of people helping out now."

Keep those ideas coming for my "Power of One" stories.

Be sure to email me about your friend or neighbor doing what they can to better the lives of others.

-Joy Purdy

©2010 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.