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| Cayden Taipalus |
Howell, Michigan (located
halfway between Detroit and Lansing) is a town of about 9,500 people.
It’s a lower-middle-class working community, where men leave every day
to support their families, and women find work in the industries that
will have them. Fewer than 4% of Howell residents live below the poverty
line, but those who do find that Howell knows how to take care of its
own. At least, they do if one little boy is any example of the town’s
spirit.
Some time back, 8-year-old
Cayden Taipalus stood in the school lunch line at Challenger Elementary,
and witnessed a fellow student receive a “sandwich” comprised of two
slices of dry bread and a single, thin slice of cheese. Cayden, his own
tray heaped with a school-spec but hot lunch, shared his classmate’s
pain and disappointment. The classmate’s school lunch account was more
than $5 in the negative, and in Michigan, that means an “alternative”
lunch.
Something had to be done.
Cayden came home that day and
told his mother, Amber Peters, of the cheese sandwich incident, and
asked her if anything could be done. The two came up with “Pay it
Forward — No Kid Goes Hungry.” According to Cayden, he just “wanted to
help kids have a better lunch.”
Cayden began calling his
friends and family, trying to raise money to pay off the school lunch
accounts of the kids whose accounts were in the negative. After hitting
Facebook and tapping all willing souls available, he hit the streets to
raise more money, collecting cans and bottles, turning them in for the
recycling fee. At the end of the drive, Cayden and his mother raised
enough money to bring every delinquent student’s account back into the
positive, enough for over 150 lunches at Challenger elementary prices.
He collected $64. And some change.
Excerpt from ABC News report
Excerpt from ABC News report
As this story shows, good manners is not just about being polite to others, it is also about caring for others. Good job Cayden!
