Ever since he was a toddler, ten-year-old Orion Jean has always wanted to help others. Every day, he tries his best to motivate the people around him. Now, he’s on the road to collect and donate half a million books for other kids!
10-Year-Old’s Grand Mission
In addition to loving those around him, Orion Jean, from Fort Worth, Texas, also loves reading. So, the ten-year-old is on a mission to distribute half a million books to kids in need! Jean started his drive about a year ago, after giving a rousing speech on kindness. “Kindness is a virtue we can all possess. If we are willing to,” he said during his speech. “So why not start today. Because right now, it’s what we need more than ever.”
Now, on his official Race to Kindness website, Jean and his team have started what they are calling “Race to 500,000 Books.” So far, Jean has already collected over 120,000 books. He’s very close to reaching the goal, and he needs your help – and anyone can help! Live in Texas? Well, the book race accepts donations from families who want to donate books. If you’re from the Lone Star State, and have new or gently used books at home, you can drop them off at one of the “Book Celebration Events” or 24-hour drop-off points. The events and drop-off points are listed on the official website. You can also sign up to host a book drive if you want to help even more!
Don’t live in Texas? No problem! Anyone worldwide can help by donating money to a few non-profit literacy organizations listed on the website. Of course, last but not least, help by sharing the messages and articles about Jean and his Race to Kindness on social media.
Incredibly, Jean does a whole lot more than donate books…
He Doesn’t Just Donate Books
In the past, Jean has done everything from collecting food and toys to hosting food drives. Most recently, he held a Thanksgiving Food Drive for people in need during the holiday season. During the food drive, Jean filled 100,000 brown paper bags with different kinds of snacks, writing motivating phrases in different colors on them. When it heard about the food drive, New York-based yogurt company Chobani gave Jean a hand in his mission. Soon enough, the company donated 100,000 Chobani products to the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Jean’s name.
“The truck departed from our South Edmeston, New York, plant and arrived Thursday. Additionally, local Chobani team members in Texas packed 100 meal bags to donate to Race to Kindness in conjunction with the 100,000 donation,” Chobani media lead John Kell wrote on Twitter.
“I was crying like a baby when they told us,” Jean’s mom, Kherri, commented. “We are going to visit the food bank so Orion can hear about the impact it is going to make in the community and see what 100,000 yogurt cups looks like. They are so overjoyed.”
We’re sure that Orion Jean will continue to change the world as he grows older!
