August 17, 2011
In many ways, Ema Fiedler is like pretty much any sixth grader. She loves to draw dresses and other outfits; she’s a voracious reader, especially when it comes to fantasy novels; and she helps out her family by taking care of a handful of chores each week.
But we at Children’s Rights think there’s something special about Ema, and not just because one of those chores happens to be caring for 10 huskies the Fieldlers mush across the snowy Alaskan terrain. It’s because Ema sets aside one dollar from her allowance each week, and every six months or so she identifies a charity that she thinks does good work. Here’s the letter we received from Ema not so long ago:
Dear Children’s Rights,
My name is Ema, I’m ten years old and I would love to help children in need. I’m a kid myself, so I know how important it is to be loved. I hope my thirty dollars is enough to make a difference. I support you a LOT! I want you to make a promise for me though. With this money, I need you to try to make these children as happy as you could possibly get them. Can you do that? I know you will at least try.
I support you,
Ema
Ema, who is home schooled by her mother, independently researches the causes to which she wants to give. We gave her a call to find out what triggered this tremendous act of generosity and how she decided on Children’s Rights:
Children’s Rights: How did you first learn about our organization?
Ema: I wanted to do something for children because, for one, I am one. Two, I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have the family that I have.
CR: Why help foster care kids?
Ema: I thought about what it might be like to go to a foster home and feel that they were going to take care of me and then they don’t — and to not feel like you belong there.
CR: What is it about your own family that makes you realize how important a family is for all kids?
Ema: I can’t imagine not having them there all the time. To not call someone mom and dad and brother and sister would be so hard.
CR: What would you wish most for kids in foster care?
Ema: That they have the ability to be open and be able to talk to their foster parents like they would their real mother and father and real siblings.
“I AM ONE.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Ema, whose mother, Sarah, describes as becoming “more aware of and interested in the big world around her,” has clearly realized that the well-being of children in foster care touches the entire community. A state that takes care of its vulnerable kids is a better place to live because of it.
We thank Ema for her decision to BE ONE TOO. We’re proud she’s joined the effort to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of kids.
Find out today what you can do. BE ONE TOO.
- Read about our efforts to reform child welfare systems across the country.
- Learn how you can support our work on behalf of abused and neglected kids nationwide.
- Sign up to receive important e-mail updates about our ongoing reform campaigns.
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
- Spread the word: tell your friends that you are ONE who stands up for American’s abused, neglected, and foster/adopted youth — and encourage them to BE ONE TOO.
