It's here in Bellefontaine, and makes me feel very small, and humbled, when I don't appreciate what I have....
http://www.examiner.org/news.php
Boy sees need to help others
9-year-old asks for food for needy rather than birthday gifts for himself
Christian Cooper, center, sorts through non-perishable food items he collected Saturday afternoon for his birthday to give to the homeless. With him in their rural Rushsylvania home are his parents, Bill and Deb Cooper.
Christian Cooper does something unique each year for his birthday celebration, and this year was no different.
The second-grade Benjamin Logan Elementary School student asked all his friends and family members to give him food items for a local charity for the needy instead of gifts for his ninth birthday, which is Tuesday.
“We didn’t know which food pantry to go to,” said his mother, Deb Cooper. “His teacher (Tammy Blake) at school suggested God’s Lifeline Thrift Shop and Food Pantry in Mt. Victory.” Mrs. Blake, who was among those who attended a party Saturday afternoon at Christian’s rural Rushsylvania home, teaches Braille to Christian, who is blind. The system of dots is used by the blind to read and write.
More than a dozen boxes of food worth about $200 were collected at the gathering.
Christian’s parents were surprised by their son’s request this year, however, they said he does something unique each year for his birthday, including a variety of activities.
“His imagination, being blind, he has a very active imagination,” Mrs. Cooper said.
“He never asked for anything for his birthday,” said his father, Bill Cooper. “He said ‘I want food for the homeless. I have too much.’
“We want to support him in what he wants to do. And this seems to have worked out nicely.”
Christian said he got the idea for the donations instead of gifts from the radio.
“I knew this was the right thing to do,” he said. “God told me to do it, so I did it.”