11-Year-Old Raises $96,000 To Fulfill '3 Wishes' For Every Resident In Nursing Home

Feb 21, 2019 by apost team

What would your answer be if someone asked you to state your most desired three wishes? Most people would likely have wishes that involve money, cars, and other material comforts.

One eleven-year-old girl, Ruby Kate Chitsey, recently asked this question to residents of a nursing home. Ruby was surprised at the answers she received. The young girl was so surprised she became determined to make as many of these wishes come true as possible.

Amanda, Ruby's mom, works with residents who reside in five nursing homes located in Harrison, Arkansas. Kate is often present when her mother visits the residents and has developed relationships with many of them.

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Ruby noticed a resident named Pearl was sad one day. When she asked the older woman what was worrying her, she learned the woman was sad because she couldn't afford to keep her dog. The woman explained the dog had been her companion for a dozen years but she was no longer able to care for the dog. 

Amanda explains residents who receive assistance from the government are given about a $40 stipend a month. This money is used to cover expenses like haircuts and clothing, so there's not that much left to cover the costs of maintaining pets. Ruby decided she would spend her money on food for the dog so that the resident did not have to be separated from her companion.

Ruby felt so good about what she had done for the woman she asked all the residents: “If I could bring you any 3 things in the world, what would they be?”. Surprisingly, the majority of wishes were for simple things like a pair of pants, pastries, or a meal from McDonald's.

Ruby's mother Amanda told Apost that they started off granting all these wishes with their own money. They did so for 4 months. After that Amanda put up the project on her Facebook page and people started to send small checks to support the project. Ruby and her mother decided to set up a GoFundMe page because Ruby also wanted to help elders suffering the same plight outside of Arkansas. In two months, the campaign has raised $96,000 of their stated goal of $100,000. In January of 2019 GoFundMe actually named Ruby the Kid Hero of the month.

The entirety of the money raised by Ruby has gone to fund the simple wishes of nursing home residents. Ruby doesn't consider the purchases to be 'extras.' For her, they are things that make life a little sweeter for the residents. Kindness is her hobby. 

Amanda told Apost that they're planning on training children to continue the '3 Wishes' project in every participating nursing home in America. Ruby's act of kindness might change how people treat the elderly. It's amazing what an 11-year-old can do!

What do you think about Ruby's compassion? Were you surprised by the residents' wishes? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this story on to your loved ones. It will warm their hearts and might cause them to grant someone else a wish.