ABOUT US
Our Mission
To create a bond between girls that will tether lives forever. We want to lift up the minds, spirits, and dreams of young girls everywhere and show them, they are not forgotten. And we will not stop until every girl is safe and her dreams for an education are within her sights.
Help A Sister - Our Story
"It's all about helping others feel special. You will feel great for helping them ... If more people start doing it, we can change the world."
-- Hannah G.
Hannah's compassion for others motivates her. Seeing the abject poverty and girls in India playing with dolls crafted of sticks and leaves made Hannah seek a way to brighten their lives. Her "Help a Sister" project provides clothing and dolls for students at the girls' school in Piyali India, near Kolkutta.
A 2012 India trip profoundly changed Hannah and how she views life. While volunteering at a girls' school, she attended classes with the girls, ate with them and shared with them. They taught each other cultural dances and broke the language barrier with hugs and smiles. Hannah saw how little the girls had. Sticks and leaves made a doll. Sticks and plastic bags made kites. The girls each wore a school uniform and had maybe only one other dress to wear.
Hannah saw the Piyali Learning Center, with its motto "Teach a girl, feed a village," providing crucial education for the girls. She saw how hard the girls worked. Hannah returned home wanting to make a difference in the lives of the girls at the Piyali school. She decided she wanted to provide a toy and a dress for each of the 295 girls. She wanted to ensure they all had gifts for Christmas 2013. "They had so little," she said. "We have so much."
The project started simply with Hannah writing a letter and posting her message to FaceBook. She named her project "Help a Sister". From that simple letter, donations began pouring in from across America. Young girls sent dolls with messages telling Hannah she inspired them and urging her to keep up the good work.
Hannah did keep up the good work. Her efforts brought her local community together to help with the project.
After Hannah's mom found a simple pattern for making cute dresses from pillowcases, Hannah recruited and organized church groups to help with sewing. She recruited girl scouts to help collect dolls and pillowcases. Her dance class volunteered to tie dye 100 of the dresses. Throughout 2013, Hannah helped organize community volunteers with tasks of washing and clothing the dolls appropriately, tie dying the material and sewing the pillowcase dresses.
To reach her goal, Hannah worked many long hours to help prepare the dolls and make the dresses. Her home was often covered with dolls and dresses in various stages of preparation. Every day, dolls and pillowcases showed up on her doorstep and in the mail from around the country.
To spread the word, Hannah traveled to schools and clubs to speak about India and her project. Hearing her speak, the students became excited about what they learned of another culture and about helping with the project. In fact, the excitement of "Help a Sister" spread throughout Hannah's community. As Hannah personally wrote thank you letters to volunteers, many told her how the project had touched their own lives and how good they felt helping. Many thanked her for the opportunity. Some of the volunteers spoke of how working on the project brought back fond memories of their own childhoods. The local hospital thrift store even donated a sewing machine so Hannah could reach her goal….a doll and a dress for every girl.
Hannah met her goal, and the project continues.
In December 2013, the Piyali Learning Center girls received 305 Barbies and 305 pillowcase dresses from Help a Sister. Elated at the gifts, the kindness and the number of people Hannah had organized to help, the principal and students wanted to give something back. Each girl drew a picture and wrote a note to Hannah expressing their love and appreciation for the gifts.
With her project, Hannah helped more than the Piyali girls. Sharing and cultural exchanges continue between the Piyali girls and the girls in Hannah's community. The giving continues as they share and encourage each other via FaceBook, videos and other correspondence.
For more about the Project's doings over the last couple years, see the Facebook page at: Project-Help-a-Sister
You may help by sending pillowcases or dolls in good condition to:
Project Help a Sister
PO Box 999
Kernville, California 93238.
For more about how the "Help A Sister" project evolved and how it continues to help both the volunteers and the recipients, please read "Hannah's Story."
Email us : dpmspooner@hotmail.com
