1/30/2008 10:43:00 AM A little girl with a big heart Zoe foregoes birthday gifts to raise money for the children of Nepal
Special birthday gift: Zoe Hasselkuss with dad Dirk and mom Alex were presented with a certificate of thanks from Kim Carter, chairman of Kathmandu Kids Club, and Sharon Beesley, director of The ISIS Foundation.
Want to help, too?
For more information about the Kathmandu Kids' Club visit www.kathmandukidsclub.com
For more information about The ISIS Foundation visit www.isis.bm
Most children look forward to their birthday parties because they know they will be inundated with gifts.
But Zoe Hasselkuss didn't mind when she learnt she wouldn't be getting any presents from the friends she had invited to her third birthday party.
Zoe became a pint-sized fundraiser instead as her friend's parents were asked instead to make donations to a children's charity.
Her parents thought it was important to "instil compassion" at an early age and to teach Zoe and her friends that there are children in need of help.
Zoe didn't miss out as she still got lots of fun presents from her family although she admits the best present she got was the $1,635 she gave to Kathmandu Kids' Club.
Zoe's mom Alex, a member of the club, came up with the idea of asking Zoe's friends to make donations to the charity instead of bringing presents to the party on December 8.
Donations totalled $935 and a further $700 was added by ACE Limited, where Alex then worked as a catastrophe risk specialist.
Alex said: "We thought this was great for a three-year-old because with children you can never start too early to instil compassion, being grateful for what you have and being aware that there are children in need of our help.
"Obviously Zoe doesn't fully comprehend what we did but we sat down and looked at the pictures and information the Kathmandu Kids' Club sent us and tried to explain it to her what this is all about.
"The parents of Zoe's friends were very supportive - and Zoe still got plenty of presents! The $10-$20 you spend on gifts in Bermuda can go so much further in Nepal, especially as every cent raised by the Club goes directly to Nepal."
The Kathmandu Kids Club supports the work of The ISIS Foundation, a Bermuda-based charity that helps children in serious need in Nepal. Since it was established in 2006, the Club has raised more than $300,000 for ISIS.
Money will go a long way
Kim Carter, chairman of the Kathmandu Kids' Club, said: "This money will go a very long way in Nepal and we would like to thank Zoe and her parents for thinking not only of us but more importantly the children of Nepal."
Sharon Beesley, Director of The ISIS Foundation, said: "We are indeed very fortunate here in Bermuda to have so much and we think it is wonderful that a new generation is being taught the kind of compassion and generosity that Bermuda is famous for. It is very exciting to see people like Zoe inspired to do something to help those less fortunate than ourselves."
The ISIS Foundation's mission is to make a positive difference to the lives of children in the developing world, primarily through health and educational programmes. Their Nepalese projects range from the delivery of health care to 6,000 impoverished people from a clinic in a monastery, to support for women and children who are the victims of domestic violence.
