Origami and Generosity

So, what do origami and generosity have in common??? They are both the topics of Cole's recent projects. Cole's first project that he completed for the local 4-H was on folding paper ninja stars. He created a backboard and presented a demonstration to a panel of judges in a county competition and won first place! Now he is headed to the regional competition with is project where he will compete against kids from all over our region of the state.

Cole's other project that he recently completed was the science fair project for his school. This project was much more involved and time-consuming. We talked for a long time about what he wanted to do for his science fair project, and we finally decided that we wanted to do something that would benefit others. So, Cole tested the generosity of others by collecting food for the local food bank in 3 different income level neighborhoods.

His project involved a lot of research and hours and hours of knocking on doors asking people to donate food. In the end, his prediction that the middle income level would be the most generous was wrong. The lowest income level was the most friendly, appreciative, and generous to others! We don't know if Cole has won an award for his project yet, but it does not really matter.

Cole learned so much about giving to others, and he was able to see first-hand how some people who have far less than us with our fully stocked pantry will give until they have very little left to give. Cole will always remember the sweet old lady who only had 6 cans in her cabinet, but gave 3 of them away... and, the single mom who had 5 kids all line up in the grass with their arms full of food waiting for Cole as he pulled his red wagon down the street. He learned how to conduct an interview when he interviewed the director of the local food shelter, and he was so excited to deliver his cans that he collected.

He wrote page after page of observations, research, and calculations in his log book and typed a report that was over 20 pages long. I believe Cole will always remember the lessons that he learned about generosity and helping others.