MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — A 7-year-old from Mount Holly is spreading Christmas joy this holiday season with the goal of bringing warmth to classmates in need.
Ciaunna Williams has started a donation drive and a GoFundMe to help her friends at Concord Lake STEAM Academy get coats, uniforms, socks, and other clothing items to keep them warm this winter.
Williams said it started with a little idea and has grown into a beautiful big pile of coats so far. Those coats will be an offering of compassion for her classmates in need.
"It got bigger and bigger. Now, we're donating stuff to the school," Williams said, of the clothing drive.
The mission started after a staff member at her school mentioned how some students go without warm clothing, even as the temperature drops.
"She said, 'There's kids around the school that don't have anything to put on, even when it's very cold outside. They have to wear short stuff--short sleeves,'" Williams said.
By the time Williams had left school and arrived at her riding lessons, she had hatched a plan, which she shared with her riding instructor Rachel Evans.
"She knows she can make a difference, and the fact that we are helping her make that difference just makes us feel that much closer to our community," Evans said.
Tameka Bond, Williams's mother, said all the donations will go towards her daughter's larger goal, which is to create a coat and uniform closet within her school.
"Ciaunna took the initiative to speak about what's going on and see what difference we can make, and it's all together," Bond said.
Those who would like to help can drop off clothing donations Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Shining Hope Farms on Whippoorwill Lane in Mount Holly.
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