Second grader Riley Palshaw drives by Kinship Center (Salinas) everyday on her way to Tularcitos School.  When she sees the big colorful Kinship Center Bears logo she thinks about kids who aren’t as fortunate as she is.  Last November in lieu of birthday gifts she asked her party guests to donate arts and crafts supplies for Kinship Center’s Family Ties Program.

But she didn’t stop there.  She and her mom were thinking about all the returns people do after Christmas – the clothes that don’t fit, duplicate gifts, the toys that didn’t match the wish list etc.  So Riley decided to ask her school mates to donate all those clothes and toys to Kinship Center! During the past two weeks seven-year-old Riley spoke to 420 kids in twenty classrooms to tell them about Kinship Center and to urge them to join her campaign. The kids, teachers, and parents at Tularcitos School have already filled one barrel and are working on their second.

And her efforts will continue this Winter and Spring when she and her classmates, as part of their history curriculum on Mother Teresa, will organize a school-wide back pack drive for kids moving to new foster homes.

Now, every morning when Riley passes the Kinship Center Bears she smiles knowing that she and her Tularcitos schoolmates are making a difference in other kids’ lives.