LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
When he’s not tending to swine for the family business, preparing for a 4-H show or learning at Ms. Holly’s House, Kade Ray, 9, is taking time to put together care packages for a blessing box benefiting homeless locals. Through personal observations, Ray found a soft spot for the unfortunate individuals.
“I saw this homeless person on a bench. I forgot where I was, but they were on a bench. I felt bad for them, so I wanted to provide them food and other stuff that they use daily,” he said.
Inside a white, wooden box outside of Ms. Holly’s House on Shaw Street, those in need can find food and other necessities. Students at the private school come together to provide items for the box.
“The Blessing Box is a place that allows our community to show unconditional love by donating food and hygiene items to those (in) need,” said Holly Lancaster, owner of Ms. Holly’s House.
Along with his own encounters with locals that are struggling, Ray discusses the financial health of the community with his family, which impacts his drive to assist those individuals.
“We talk about economics and how things are right now, financially, along with stuff in the community,” said Ray’s mother, Stefanie Sturgell. “We talked about the need in our community. He decided to add things to the blessing box because if there’s one person in need, there has to be more.”
Ray has the help of his family and their business to raise money and products for the packages. They have, so far, made more than 100 bags to donate to the blessing box.
“We’re able to put together bags of shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste and socks,” said Sturgell. “We’re also going to add granola bars, some stuff like that. We do have monetary donations that have come in. So when we get to the deadline, we’re going to evaluate what we need at that point and put everything together.”
Ms. Holly’s House is more than just an educational center for Ray. They have been teaching skills that are vital to the social growth of a child and lessons which will last them a lifetime.
“Ms. Holly’s House is proud to instill a philanthropic world view in the hearts of our students,” said Lancaster.
“Ms. Holly’s has been fantastic. It’s about developing the whole kid, not just school, not just academics,” said Sturgell. “It is (about) helping your community. When they do conflict resolution, she lets the kids figure it out before anyone steps in. Those are life skills you don’t learn in academia.”
Ray’s father is a police officer and his stepmother, who used to be a paramedic, is now a 911 coordinator. Sturgell sees Ray’s admiration for his family’s first responder careers and predicts it will lead him to a bright future. Ray, on the other hand, might have other dreams that he is conquering up.
“He’s always had a servant’s heart… obsessed with first responders, police, fire and all of that. If he doesn’t become a first responder, I would be shocked,” she said.
“I want to be a scientist and study tornadoes,” he replied.
The impact Ray is making on his community, even at such a young age, is one to take note of. Whether the individual he is helping has a snout or nose, Ray does his best to create the biggest difference he can. He hopes to continue helping his family’s business, Three Brothers Meat Company, raising swine and taking care of their needs. His hard work and determination in the swine industry has helped him perform well in 4-H events, so well that he will be traveling to Springfield to participate in the state level competition.
This further proves that nurturing the minds of children and encouraging them to be young humanitarians can make a difference for everyone.
“Kade wanted to help the community. He told me this morning, ‘I’m fortunate enough to have everything I need.’ And we know that’s not necessarily the case for everyone in our community,” said Sturgell.
“(Kade) Ray is a kind and empathetic boy who fully understands the importance of serving his community,” said Lancaster.
If you know a local person, group or organization enacting positive change in Edgar County, nominate them for a spot in The Prairie Press’ “Making an Impact” series. Check out the Prairie Press Facebook page for more information.