Selfless 4-Year-Old Felt She Had Enough Toys, Asked For Birthday Money To Give To Animal Sanctuary Instead | HuffPost Life

Well done Olive! 👏❤️

By

Life editor at HuffPost UK

A four-year-old surprised her mum with her selfless gesture in the run up to her birthday.

Instead of asking for presents, Olive, from Whitstable, Kent, said all she wanted was money to donate to a local charity.

And while many kids can’t wait to unwrap their birthday presents, the animal-loving four-year-old beamed with excitement as she headed down to her local animal sanctuary to pass on the £90 she was given by friends and family at her party.

“Being only just four and having this compassion and empathy makes me a very proud mumma,” her mum, Jade Kay, 32, told HuffPost UK.

JadeKay

Four-year-old Olive wanted to raise money for her local animal sanctuary.

Kay said the conversation about getting donations instead of presents cropped up when she and Olive were discussing her “Troll-themed” birthday party.

“It was going to be a very big party in a hall,” Kay explained. “We were having a chat about what happens when everyone goes to a birthday party. We spoke about the number of people coming to her party and how everyone would be bringing a present.

“Olive said she had lots of lovely toys at home already and she didn’t need any more.”

Olive’s favourite place to visit on the weekend is The Retreat Animal Sanctuary in Ashford, Kent, and she said she wanted to give the animals presents..

JadeKay

Olive at her fourth birthday party.

Kay explained to Olive that giving animals presents was possible.

“We spoke about charity and what is involved,” she said. “We decided that raising money for the animal sanctuary would be the closest to her heart.

“Every option was given to her as I didn’t want her to make a choice she was unhappy with.”

When it came to the party, Kay told Olive’s friends’ parents that they were asking for donations, not presents.

They positioned donation buckets around the hall and asked all guests to give a little towards the sanctuary.

“She was very relaxed and cool about the whole situation,” Kay told HuffPost UK. “There was no pressure and she was very level-headed about not receiving gifts and raising money instead.”

Olive managed to raise £90 from friends and family at her birthday party, and in the New Year headed to The Retreat Animal Sanctuary to give her donation.

JadeKay

Olive carrying her donation bucket to the local animal sanctuary.

Everyone hates January. The post-Christmas comedown hits us hard, especially with 2017 being such a tough year. Kindness 31 is our antidote to that. Every day we’ll share a good news story about someone (or a group of people) and their act of kindness or how they helped others. If you want to get involved, email ukblogteam@huffpost.com. Alternatively if you’d like to nominate someone to be featured, fill in this form.

Before You Go

Yes, You CAN Make A Family Walk Fun

Don't say 'who wants to go for a walk?'(01 of08)

Reframe a walk so it's enticing and exciting using words like explore, play, adventure.Who wants to climb a castle or who wants to find some treasure or skim stones? (credit:Alexander Nicholson via Getty Images)

Don't plod in a straight line - and back again.(02 of08)

Choose a wiggly walk and terrain made for adventuring. "It's all about keeping children's minds off putting one foot in front of another," says Clare Lewis. (credit:Stephen Lux via Getty Images)

Always have an appealing destination - and make pit-stops along the way.(03 of08)

It could be a café with their favourite hot chocolate or their 'secret' place like a climbing tree. Make regular stops to admire natural curiosities, make a den, whittle a stick or play in water or whatever you fancy. Encourage your kids to take photos. Clare Lewis's family always take 'scroggin'; a New Zealand name for a hikers' mix of nuts and seeds, dried fruit and chocolate to keep energy levels up. (credit:ArtMarie via Getty Images)

Join forces with another family or get the kids to bring their friends.(04 of08)

Children love the sociability of a walk and bringing friends increases their activity as they challenge each other to jump the highest or widest, splash in puddles, climb trees or find the best stick. (credit:Alistair Berg via Getty Images)

Walk together in a chatty clod, not a single line with you barking 'come on, keep up'(05 of08)

There may be times you have to walk in a line, but take turns with who's the leader. Also, let your children choose the route (within reason!). (credit:Bounce via Getty Images)

Play games as you go.(06 of08)

Hide-and-seek, capture the flag or ambushes - sending kids on ahead so they can jump out on you - are all favourites. Bring a ball or a Frisbee to play with too. (credit:JLPH via Getty Images)

Turn your walk into a treasure hunt. Or an obstacle course.(07 of08)

Children love places to clamber over like a rocky beach or challenges like climbing trees or jumping over streams. Challenge children to touch that tree and run back, hopscotch between the pavement cracks or run along the low wall. "You could go on a shape walk, finding stones, shells and leaves that are all the same shape," suggests Clare Lewis, co-author of Adventure Walks for Families in and Around London. (credit:Imgorthand via Getty Images)

End on a high.(08 of08)

Match a walk to your kids' ages. You don't want want to leave them exhausted. Talk up what fun you had, so next time you suggest an adventure walk they leap at the chance. (credit:ArtMarie via Getty Images)

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