Gemma Musty and friends raise $600 for Cambodian Kids
October 2007
"The three children in Cambodia are poor and need money for school, food, clothes and toys. They don’t have lots of things like I do" – Gemma Musty – Age 6
Following the example of her big brother Hudson – who raised $300 for kids in Sri Lanka in 2006 when he turned 6, Gemma Musty also made the decision to ask all of his friends to become a Fairy God Cousin, in lieu of presents.
Gemma and her friends raised $600 – specifically for three children at Sunrise Children’s Village in Cambodia – who have suffered terribly from burns – inflicted by others.
Gemma with Halle, Reagan, Brooke, Yannis, William, James, Tayla, Lachlan, Matthew, Mackenzie, Chelsea, Kiarnie, Blake, Gabriel, Royce, Bronte, Sophie, Aaron, Jeremy, Olivia, Rebecca, Luke, Sarah and Emily
Lynda Said: We encourage our children to actively give to children who are not as fortunate as they are. When their birthdays come up, we let them choose a charity, in particular one where they can see where the money is going and have a direct impact, so that they have a sense of giving.
The invitations sent out for Gemma’s party included a ‘no presents please’ clause and explained that she had been touched by the plight of three children in Cambodia who had been dealt a challenging hand in life and she would prefer her friends to bring a donation in an envelope towards these three children. Gemma made a box to collect the donations and decorated it with photos of the children.
As a parent, I look at my children who have everything they could wish for. I am so proud that Gemma realises this and is willing to give up presents from her friends in order to help others.
After her party, she counted the money with so much excitement as she realised what she could pass on to these children. We think she was more excited at seeing how muchmoney she had raised compared to the opening of the presents. Presents are lovely, but at the end of the day she herself has given a much larger gift and made someone else’s life better.
