An 11-year-old girl in West Palm Beach, Florida, is working hard to help children in her own community get the support they need.
Each year, Olivia Knowles gives a check to workers at Grandma’s Place, a shelter for abused and neglected children that also offers short-term care for children with disabilities and the people who watch over them, CBS 12 reported Monday.
“I love bringing it here and knowing that I’m helping people,” Olivia explained.
The generous child set up a hot chocolate stand in her area when she was six-years-old thanks to some help from relatives and friends.
Video footage from 2018 showed Olivia ready to serve the warm drinks:
However, this year’s donation blew everyone away because it was over $4,000.
“It brings me to tears, it really does. It’s amazing what she does and each year it continues to build and build,” said Joan O’Connell, who is president of the board at Grandma’s Place.
“To have someone so young be so kind and caring and also the awareness that there are children out there that are less fortunate than your average child,” Joan continued.
The Olivia’s Annual Hot Cocoa Stand social media page announced Sunday the effort raised $4,331 in donations:
“We have so many THANK YOUs, HUGS and HIGH FIVES to send to you!!! Such a special day for so many!” the post read:
Now, the entire neighborhood looks forward to that one big night each December.
“We had Santa come this year, we do a sweet treats stand, we do a scavenger hunt and yeah it’s a lot of fun,” Olivia commented.
The event raises money so the children staying at Grandma’s Place can enjoy a special day, too.
“To get this kind of money gives us the chance to do a little something extra for our children that we haven’t necessarily budgeted for,” Joan explained.
“It just makes me feel so great knowing kids out there that maybe aren’t as fortunate as us get to do amazing things,” Olivia said.