6-year old Sophia Myers donated the contents of her unicorn piggy bank to Grand View Hospital.
It was a little under $15, pocket change to most adults. But to 6-year old Sophia Myers, it was all the money in the world, the fruits of her labors from doing chores around the house and taking care of her little sister.
Tucked safely away in a small ceramic unicorn bank, the hard-earned cash would be used to buy some books, maybe a stuffed animal or two, perhaps an ice cream cone on a hot summer night. You know, stuff that makes being a kid so much fun.
And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Even as an innocent kindergartner, Sophia knew this was a scary time. She knew people were getting sick, even dying. She heard about doctors and nurses working long, hard hours to keep her family and friends safe.
All of a sudden, that kid stuff didn’t seem so important to Sophia. The books, the stuffed animals, the ice cream could wait. She decided her 15 bucks could be put to better use.
With her parents’ help, Sophia sent her actual piggybank - $14.77 in all - with a thank you card to those fighting the pandemic on the frontlines at Grand View Hospital.
"I decided to give it to Grand View Hospital and I thought it was going to be really helpful," Sophia said.
Touched by the generosity of one so young, the hospital shared a video about Sophia on its Facebook page. Pretty soon, what started as a young girl's selfless donation of her life savings turned into a huge campaign that has raised more $60,000 in two weeks. The money will be used to help offset expenses incurred due to the pandemic.
"A couple of us cried to know that a little girl is thinking about us in a difficult time and gave us her bank," Grand View Hospital CEO Jean Keeler said.
Dr. Jane Ferry, the hospital’s chief medical officer, agreed.
"I think it all just really touched us that this child, of her own accord, took all of her savings in her unicorn piggy bank and gave it to us with such a lovely note. It just really helps remind us why we're here and why we're doing what we doing. Because it gets difficult at times," said Ferry.
Donations to the Grand View Health COVID-19 initiative continue to be accepted through the Grand View Health website, https://www.gvh.org/covid-19-donations/.
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