Ethan Simons claims that he was often worried that his 9-year-old son Nathan was watching that many videos on YouTube; however, his worries reduced a bit after Nathan watched YouTubers donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to shelters with homeless and was inspired by them.
Couple of hours after watching the video, he said to his dad ‘I want to do what they did’. He wanted to use his savings account and help other people who need it the most.
But, his father was hesitant at first- there was some part in him that wanted his boy to give up the idea; however, he then thought about the lesson he’s going to teach him if he says no.
He then decided to match his son’s donation, dollar for dollar.
The next step was finding the right shelters.
Nathan & Ethan Help Shelters & Homeless
Nathan reached out to some homeless shelters in the Quad Cities area and decided to purchase some of the most necessary things for them. He wrote down everything and went with his son to withdraw $150 from each account from the bank.
Their next stop was Walmart. The officials of Christian Care in Rock Island said they needed gloves, shoes, hot sauce, and barbecue sauce.
Nathan said this felt so good- he wishes he could have these things to himself, but he also has to think about others sometimes.
The 4th grader also used some of his savings to get some of the extra stuff on the list so that the people from the shelter to have decent New Year’s Eve celebration- he made sure there was a cart with soda drinks and cookie cakes.
Nathan says he feels very happy when giving and helping others.
Delivering the Groceries to the Homeless Shelter
The Development Coordinator at the Christian Care, Cindi Gramenz, said to Nathan that he should know that he’s doing an amazing thing and helping a large number of people.
Gramenz further noted that at only 9 years of age, feeling this kind of compassion for the work they do and for what’s happening in his community is wonderful.
Ethan is more than proud of his son and says he did well and that not many people can say they emptied their savings and went buying things for a homeless shelter.
A Donation Dear to the Family’s Hearts
The donation to this shelter was very special for the Simons because the older sister of Nathan is in the Marine Corps and he wanted to ensure the veterans at the shelter had all they needed.
Nathan also added he could see himself doing this again or giving more time to volunteering.
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