Ruby Kate Chitsey

I never dreamed in a bazillion years that a small project I started inside a nursing home in Arkansas in 2019 would become what it is today.

Here’s my story- 45,000 wishes, $500,000, 164 interviews and 5 years later.

First, I’ve grown up a little AND I’m not your average 15-year-old. Candy is my favorite food and nursing home seniors are my favorite people. I feel like I grew up in nursing homes. It’s what my mom does and I was with her a lot. I liked it and I liked them. I liked their hugs and I especially liked the way they made me feel. It was like they gave out “inside happiness”. This all started when I decided to help one nursing home senior when I was 10. Her name was Pearl and she had to give up her dog. I learned that most nursing home seniors in America receive a very low “personal spending allowance” (PSA) each month that must cover everything from haircuts and clothes to pet food. How much is the PSA? It’s $30 in NC and $40 in Arkansas. It varies from state to state but the one thing all states have in common is that it’s low. They can’t even afford Pepsi. Something as simple as a haircut is 25% of their monthly allowance. My friends in the nursing home were going without. I asked them, “What are your 3 wishes?” and all they wanted were simple things like fresh strawberries, pants that fit and real cheese! If you asked kids my age that question you would get “a million $, air pods or a PlayStation”. These seniors just wanted what most of us have.

Fast forward to 2023 and I’ve founded a youth-led nonprofit that fulfills these small wishes for nursing home seniors across America. Our nonprofit has fulfilled over 45,000 wishes and we've spent over $500,000 on nursing home seniors. I’ve received the highest honors and medals a youth can receive for humanitarian work. I received the Princess Diana award, CNN Kid Wonder of the Year and I was named one of People Magazine's "Girls of the Year". I never expected a medal. I never did this for any other reason than to help the seniors. My favorite thing is that I’ve taught kids, classrooms and adults all over the country how to help nursing home seniors in their own communities through kindness.

Kindness IS my hobby. Mom drug me to soccer, dance and tumbling. Mom put me in all the clubs. It wasn't my thing and none of it made me happy. I didn't fit in and there was nothing fun about not fitting in. But, I loved volunteering and it didn't take me long to realize that kindness was my hobby and I was really good at it. Kindness can be everyone's hobby and I wrote this book so that kids just like me can see that they can change the world, too.

We ARE changing their world. It’s a movement.

In a world where YOU can choose any charity, I’m grateful you chose ours.

Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents.

Ruby Kate Chitsey

CEO/Founder