When Amanda, a nurse who works for various nursing homes in Arkansas, first took her little girl to a nursing home with her, she had no idea what would happen in only a few years.
Amanda’s daughter, Ruby, just loved the people living there. She also realized that she had a special connection with them.
“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” and I needed that,” Ruby explained.
At the age of 10, Ruby decided to help an elderly woman named Pearl who was about to give up her pet because she couldn’t afford to keep him.
After that, Ruby had an idea. When she realized that people living in nursing homes couldn’t afford things that other people take for granted, she decided to help them.
So, she took a notebook and started asking them what three wishes they had, and she wrote them down.
“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,” she says.
Soon, Ruby’s list started growing, and it mostly featured cheese, sausages, fresh fruit and veggies, or soft drinks.
That’s when she decided that the next step would be to grant those people their wishes. After all, they were not asking for a Lamborghini!
So, she started a Go Fund Me, and, once she had raised enough money, she headed to the grocery store to buy the presents for her nursing home friends.
The hugs that she received were tighter than you can imagine. And the happiness she gave to those people was beyond her expectations.
When the young girl realized that she was actually making a big difference with what she offered to those elderly people, she decided to fund a non-profit organization in order to help as many seniors as she can.
And that’s how “Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents” was created.
“Fast forward to 2022 and I’ve founded a youth-led nonprofit that fulfills these small wishes for nursing home seniors across America. Our nonprofit has fulfilled over 25,000 wishes,” Ruby explains in a Facebook post.
The girl, who along with her team has helped thousands of seniors across America, has received numerous awards for her humanitarian work.
Ruby was one of 10 Girls Changing the World according to People magazine, while she was also named a Go Fund Me Kid Hero for her initiative and her idea that is meant to change the world.
At 14 years old, today, Ruby has no intention to stop helping the elderly. On the contrary, she’s always trying to figure out how to make those people happy.
And we are sure she will keep granting wishes and spreading happiness for many years to come.
Watch Ruby’s story in the video below!
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