More proof that no one is ever to young to identify kindness and a want to help others.
A 4 year old in Salt Lake city named Chase Hansen noticed some homeless people while shopping with his dad, and started asking some questions.
“Chase looked at me and said, ‘Dad, who are these people? Why don’t they have a place to stay?'” Chase’s dad continued to explain, “that they had run into hard times and were homeless.”
Identifying his young son’s questions as a learning opportunity, the dad, John Hansen, continued the conversation with his son, who immediately wanted to help.
The father son duo decided to spend their weekends helping others . . . even convincing a Jamba Juice location near them to donate over a hundred smoothies to be handed out to members of the homeless community in a SLC park.
Chase is now ten years old, and his initial outreach to help has spurred into something more.
“I wanted a way to get to know people better, so me and my dad decided to start taking some of the homeless people we’d met out to lunch,” shares Chase.
Noe, once or twice a week, Chase and his Dad take new acquaintances out for burgers and fries, soup and sandwiches, or tacos to share a meal and conversation with members of the homeless community.
The now fifth grader, “would ask them where they were from, what their hobbies were, stuff like that . . . And sometimes they’d share the story of how they became homeless.”
Chase continues, “A lot of people walk right past homeless people and don’t see the person . . . [They’re] people just like us. They want to make a connection and not feel so alone in the world.”
The father-son team now run a self-funded charity called Project Empathy, with hopes of inspiring others to reach out and create friendships with members of the homeless community in their own neighborhoods. The charity also helps line homeless up with helpful resources and agencies for housing, employment opportunities, and recovery assistance from alcohol and drug addiction.
Of his son, John shares, “[Chase] proves that you’re never too young to make a positive impact.”
(MSN)
