LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – There is no secret recipe to being kind and making a difference.
It is a lesson we are learning from an 8-year-old in Las Vegas.
We met Phoenix at Ober Elementary during recess.
“It’s where kids can get their energy out and when they go back to class they can get their energy and be ready to learn,” Phoenix said.
However, this 8-year-old wants to teach us all a lesson.
“I saw a bunch of kids and i don’t think that wandering around is that nice, if I a kid is wandering around they don’t have anyone to play with,” Phoenix explained.
Soon, we realized it is a lesson you can’t learn in the classroom.
“I found one of my classmates crying because they didn’t have anyone to play with and I did play with them but I didn’t like that they didn’t have anyone to play with,” she shared.
That playtime stuck with Phoenix, she came home and told her mom she wanted to create something called ‘Buddy Bench.’
“Draw that buddy bench let me see what it looks like on paper and we will take the next steps to make it happen for you,” Laquel Harris, Phoenix’s mom said.
Phoenix got right to work sketching out what her buddy bench would look like on the playground.
“What happens is if a kid is sitting on it, it’s a good indicator they need someone to play with so if another kid sits on it so you have another friend to play with,” Phoenix said.
Principal Melissa Baker said she is all for it.
“Having something like this at our school we can teach students how to use that bench to advocate for themselves and advocate for others,” Baker said.
As for Phoenix she is already putting others first, in her drawn out fundraiser she said she used her own $5 to start.
“You should probably have a kinder heart and think about others and not just yourself,” Phoenix expressed.
Phoenix would like this bench up as soon as possible, with material costs and labor, it will cost $2500.
Her mom has set up a GoFundMe to help.
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