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DEL.ICIO.USGirl inspires others to help sick children
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She bounced outside one wintry day and saw her good friend, Tessa Thornton, bundled in an overcoat.
Hannah Perras could tell something was wrong. Tessa’s head was down. The 8-year-old was sobbing.
“She told me her cousin was dying with cancer,” said Hannah, 10. “She’d been in the hospital over Christmas. I was very worried.”
Hannah had played with the sick child a few times when she visited Tessa in Lawrenceville. She considered her a friend and wanted to help her in some way.
“My daughter has a very big heart,” Ann Perras told me. “When she first saw footage of the Chinese earthquake, she had tears on her face. She’s very sensitive.”
Hannah doesn’t deny it.
“When I see things like that, it almost always makes me cry,” she said.
Naturally, Hannah wanted to do something, anything, to help her friend’s cousin. She thought about hosting a benefit to raise money to defray medical costs, but that was unnecessary. The sick child, a patient at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, has coverage.
Hannah went online and read stories about cancer-stricken kids unable to afford treatment. An idea was born: donate to charity care.
One day at school, the fourth-grader at Rock Springs Elementary scheduled an appointment with Principal Angie Pacholke. She pitched her idea: to host a used book sale on campus. Pacholke granted the green light.
“She said you plan it and you tell me what you’re going to do,” Hannah told me. “And that’s what I did.”
Hannah handed out fliers in her neighborhood to collect books. She asked friends to donate. Pacholke asked students and parents to do likewise. A notice appeared in the school newsletter.
On Friday, Rock Springs did indeed host a used book sale in the media center. Hundreds of books were available. Dr. Seuss books. Titles from series like The Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones.
“This had been in the works for four or five months,” Perras said. “Hannah had this idea and ran with it. The person who made it as spectacular as it was was Kathy Schmidt. When we arrived Friday, everything was set.”
Around 9 a.m. Friday morning, Schmidt, the media specialist, fired off an e-mail. She told me about Hannah and gave background on how the book sale had come to be. Then she told me about the benefit itself, which was in progress.
“Today was the book sale in the school media center and so far [Hannah] has raised over $300 to give to Scottish Rite Hospital in honor of her friend,” Schmidt wrote. “She is still counting as I type this!”
The event raised nearly $500 for Scottish Rite. The Perrases plan to take the money to the hospital this week.
“I thought I’d raise $100 or less,” Hannah told me. “There were tons and tons of books. I didn’t think we’d get a lot, but we did.”
Cool kid.
Great idea.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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Comments
By Wxmaggie
May 20, 2008 9:50 AM | Link to this
Rick, thanks for letting everyone know about this young lady. She a much better role model than a certain Hannah who gets a lot more publicity! Way to go, Hannah Perras!
By MJK
May 20, 2008 3:06 PM | Link to this
Rick - Thanks for highlighting such a great young woman. It is impressive what she has accomplished and her commitment to helping others.
By Lisa
May 20, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this
My best friend is this girl’s mom and, oh boy, what a genuinely caring family! All 5 of them are the giving kind and it’s a lesson for all of us…your kids copy what you display! God bless Hannah. I am so proud to call them friends!
By Carrie Lennard
May 21, 2008 4:16 AM | Link to this
Dearest Hannah - what an achievement and what a true friend you are! Love and hugs to you - Carrie (London UK) xxx
By fk
May 21, 2008 12:02 PM | Link to this
Great article. The selfless things that people do for others usually go by unnoticed. Most times, we don’t realize what can be or needs to be done, until we, or a loved one, are facing difficult times. My niece, who suffered from brain cancer, was the recipient of many acts of kindness.
Hannah has vision and a big heart. I’m sure her gestures mean more to her friend and her friend’s family than words could ever express. The world needs more people like her. Keep up the good work!