![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/08\/2-1-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSmall Beginnings, Big Heart<\/strong> \u201cEmorie was in kindergarten, and she had sisters in the fourth and sixth grades,\u201d explained Emorie\u2019s mother, Mary. \u201cAt Alvaton Elementary School, they didn\u2019t have any clubs for kindergarten through third grade. Emorie didn\u2019t like hearing her sisters talking about what clubs they were going to be in, especially when she couldn\u2019t join. I suggested to her that we do something about it. At first, she didn\u2019t know what she wanted to do \u2014 she just wanted to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a few weeks of debating, Emorie and Mary decided that a club that helped others was an excellent place to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt started in kindergarten, and she only allowed kindergarten to third grade students \u2014 because, you know, that was the whole reason why she wanted it,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd to this day, Alvaton [Elementary] only has kindergarten to third graders that can be a part of the club.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary said around 100 students became involved with the club for various age-appropriate acts of kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn the beginning, we would do cards for veterans on Veterans Day, socks and letters for those in the nursing home \u2014 also letters of encouragement for the homeless that would be left in area shelters,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary said that while the younger students have continued to do those smaller acts of kindness, over the years, the organization has grown and created the opportunity for all ages to lend a helping hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Growing and Giving<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The club has now grown to include additional schools, such as Cumberland Trace Elementary and Western Kentucky University, with 150 members in its Good Deeds KY club on campus. Mary stated that they\u2019ve also recruited additional volunteers and community partnerships, such as with the American Legion, enabling the group to reach even more people in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt has manifested into so much more,\u201d Mary explained. \u201cWe can provide beds for homeless veterans that have obtained housing. We have partnered with school systems to help provide students\u2019 families with basic needs that they may not have or have access to. We work with caseworkers, social workers, and both women and men in recovery. We\u2019re not an upgrade system. We\u2019re a system that if you don\u2019t have anything, we\u2019ll help get what you need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The club\u2019s rapid growth led to its becoming an official nonprofit in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe became a nonprofit because we were growing and gaining more support, and we couldn\u2019t accept the support without being a nonprofit,\u201d Mary said. \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic problem to have. There is something about doing for someone else and expecting nothing in return. You are just doing it to be a positive light and to give someone a helping hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s Next?<\/strong> \u201cIn the next five years, we expect to be bigger. We would love for there to be more of these clubs in schools. I think it\u2019s important to teach kids what it means to give and that giving can mean more than just donating money. \u2018Giving\u2019 is sometimes your time and effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We would also love to see Good Deeds grow in our community and be able to service more counties around us. We currently service the counties around us, but it\u2019s limited because of our resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know that it would turn into this, but I\u2019m not surprised because there\u2019s a need for it, and once you see it and you feel it, it\u2019s hard not to want to help and do some good. It\u2019s amazing work. We\u2019re blessed to get to do it. We have a fantastic community that supports us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also added that, just as in the beginning, Emorie will continue to lead the charge to help as many as she can with a good deed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe has a serving heart,\u201d Mary said. \u201cIt just is a way of life for her, and I\u2019m proud that she\u2019s continued this and continues it. It\u2019s just her mindset.\u201d GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE LONG-TIME and much-beloved children\u2019s television host, Fred Rogers, often spoke about the importance of helping others on his public television show, \u201cMister Rogers\u2019 Neighborhood.\u201d In his own life, Rogers was encouraged by his mother to \u201clook for those helping\u201d when things seemed troublesome in the world around him. \u201cWhen I was a boy and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":22859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n
The story of Good Deeds KY has a unique beginning that started in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/08\/3-1-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/bowling-green\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/08\/4-1024x683.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Mary said the next five years for the organization look to be years of growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n