“The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate,
but in what you give away.”
Before the age of 12, Saluda resident Addy Parsley learned how good it feels to help people, and agrees with this quote from motivational speaker and author Dr. Wayne W. Dyer.
For her past three birthdays, Addy has “donated” her birthday presents to raise money to help others. One year her mission was to get clothes and necessities for the homeless. Another year Addy raised money to buy dog and cat food and toys for the Middlesex County Animal Shelter. This year her mission was to help Conner’s Heroes.
“My faith in God has always led me to want to help others,” said Addy. “Seeing other people happy brings me joy and when I know I can have a small part in that, it brings me even greater joy.”
Lemonade stand
In July, with help from friends, Addy set up a lemonade stand to raise money for Connor’s Heroes Foundation. The Richmond organization “assists families during a child’s cancer treatment and beyond.”
The lemonade stand, set up at Norman’s Produce in Saluda, raised $1,420. Another $610 was donated by those who learned of Addy’s efforts, bringing the total raised to $2,030.
Addy’s goal is to spread the positive feelings that come from helping others. It’s working. The Middlesex Moose Lodge generously donated $500 to Addy’s cause.
Shoppers at Norman’s Produce were attracted to the lemonade stand. “Some asked what the cause was,” said Addy’s father Shawn. “They may have not even bought lemonade, but they wanted to support the cause and pulled out money without thinking twice. We are so blessed to live in such a great county!”
Addy’s goal also is to encourage children to have a “Giving Birthday” and give away their presents; or help nonprofits in other ways, explained her mother Sarah Parsley. “Addy asked her friends to bring gifts that could be donated to Connor’s Heroes to help children going through cancer treatments instead of bringing gifts to Addy,” explained Sarah.
A better place
Sarah Parsley works at Chesapeake Bank and every October the bank conducts a charitable event for a nonprofit organization. “When I came home and talked about it and showed her their (Conner’s Heroes) website and all of the wonderful things they do, she immediately wanted to become involved,” recalls Sarah.
Addy was asked to be a “Junior Hero” by Connor’s Heroes. She was tasked with raising $500 in the month of July. They reached out to her because she donated gifts to the organization from her birthday.
Addy said her purpose was “to provide hope to kids going through cancer treatments and for them to know that there are people out there who love them and want to help make this difficult time easier on them and their family.”
Giving her time
For Addy the monetary donation is only one facet of her charity work. She wants to give something more valuable — her time. She wants to decorate a child’s hospital room during their stay, said Sarah. “She wants to do arts and crafts with them and their families. She wants to become as involved as they’ll allow her at her age.”
At a young age Addy Parsley is making the world a better place and she encourages others to do the same. “No amount is ever too small and anything you do can make a big impact,” said Addy.
“Her heart is on fire for helping others,” said Sarah. “She has always been like that.”
