10-Year-Old Boy On a ‘Race to Kindness’ by Getting Food, Toys and Books Delivered to Kids Across Texas
In 2020, ten-year-old Orion Jean from Fort Worth, Texas won a student kindness contest where he won a $500 prize. “Kindness is a virtue we can all possess. If we are willing to. So why not start today. Because right now, it’s what we need more than ever,” Jean told CBS News. He said that winning the contest “was really just the catalyst to something so much bigger. It started out as an idea but here we are today, the race to kindness was born.”
With the prize money, Jean donated toys to a Dallas Children’s Hospital. Then, with the help of food drivers and after teaming up with a relief group, he helped collect 100,000 meals for Texas families.
Now, he wants to share his love of books with children who may not have access to them. “It’s all about my moral duty to help people,” said Jean. “You know, it’s my responsibility to be able to see these people who need help and knowing that I have the resources to help them.”
Jean has collected over 120,000 books so far and is asking people across the country to donate their used books.
Whitley Penn, a financial consulting firm, held a book drive in support of Jean. The firm donated between 1,200 and 1,500 books, and raised approximately $10,000 to help advance his mission. The money was split between Dallas nonprofits Literacy Achieves and Book Drive for Kids. Half Price Books also announced a donation of 50,000 additional books for Jean’s cause.
“I hope that the impact that I have had is enough to keep people continuing to race to kindness and continuing to join me in this marathon because it’s not a sprint,” Jean said. “It’s not a one-time thing, it’s not a three-time thing. It’s something that can hopefully be continued on for years and years to come.”
Image source: CBS News
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