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Middle-schooler’s compassion, generosity truly inspirational
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| Mario Aguilar | Sahuarita Sun Four-year-old Michael Gutierrez, left, one of 92 children who received a Christmas gift from Sahuarita seventh-grader Richard Cesare, right, at the Green Valley Community Food Bank in December, looks at additional toys Richard gave him in January when they met outside Sahuarita Middle School. |
By Karen Walenga
During the recent holiday season, did you find any time to help out someone less fortunate than you? Is that something you might think about throughout the year?
A local middle school student hopes you will, and he’s setting an inspirational example himself.
This teenager told the Sahuarita Sun he really doesn’t want this story to be about him. Instead, 13-year-old Richard Cesare wants to remind us that “even in these two towns of big houses, there are kids going to bed hungry and without warm clothes tonight.”
His compassion and generosity made Christmas much merrier for 92 area children “who really needed some help from a neighbor,” as Richard puts it.
To accomplish the goal he set for his 2006 “giving project,” Richard started last January.
“I cleaned yards, earned money through fund-raiser prizes and academic competitions,” he said, noting that “doing your homework can really pay big money.”
Saving for ‘giving project’
“I added my allowance and hit my parents up for extra jobs to earn money. I gave my tithe and the rest went to my giving project,” he explains.
Richard raised more money in 2006 than he ever had before.
“I was able to buy the cool gifts: MP3 players, personal DVD players and movies, and even a few hand-held game systems. Dolls, bears, trucks. You name it, I probably had it.
“Christmas is not Christmas without lots of chocolate, so there was tons of that, too,” he points out.
Working with the Green Valley Community Food Bank, he gave the gifts out to children of Food Bank clients on Dec. 21-22.
“The kids would walk up at the food bank and hand me a white slip that said how many children in the family and their ages,” he explains. “I could make sure that they each got a gift and a bag of candy.
“I ended up with 41 slips of paper that represented 92 Sahuarita and Green Valley children.
Hugs and thanks
“What a surprise it was for the kids. This one little girl must have said thank you 20 times, and she hugged me four times,” Richard recalls.
“I actually randomly gave her exactly what she was hoping for. Her mom hugged me and whispered ‘thank you, I couldn’t get it for her.’”
“You would not believe the smiles on people’s faces,” says Lisa Kemper, branch manager of the Green Valley Community Food Bank. “The kids and their parents were just moved.
“For a young man to give of himself (like that), we were all just amazed,” Kemper said. “Most children are not willing to give so much of themselves to others.
“I’m so proud of him and motivated.”
Richard, now a seventh-grader at Sahuarita Middle School, recalls that it all started when he was in kindergarten.
“I had a friend ... who would ask for the leftover food of other students. She would wrap it in napkins and put it in her backpack.
Those going without
“I asked her why she did that and she told me her family didn’t always have food,” Richard recalls. “Every year since then, I noticed other kids who do the same thing.
“Two years ago, I had a friend who always wore shorts in the winter. I asked him why one day, because he was clearly cold, and he told me that’s all he had.
“That year, I adopted his whole family with my savings and bought them all new winter clothes.”
According to Richard’s mother, Lea Cesare, “this is who Richard is and has always been. He has always had a gift for noticing things others overlook, both good and bad.
“The first time he noticed a child saving school lunch food for dinner, it really changed him.”
Richard raises the money on his own, and his mother helps him watch for sales.
“He was sure he knew what boys would want, but needed help in shopping for girls,” she notes.
“Richard has always been very giving. His father and I are very proud of him,” she adds.
Living his faith
Richard points out that, “I don’t do it for recognition or so people see me. I do it because I am a Christian who doesn’t want to only say the words, but wants to live them.”
He believes that if people notice you living by your faith, they will see what God can do in your life.
“God depends on us to help our neighbor,” he says, noting that if a family cannot afford food and clothes, Christmas gifts are not likely, either.
When these kids go back to school, most teachers ask all their students what they got for Christmas.
“They either have to lie or say nothing, which is going to get them made fun of later in the day. Nobody should ever have only those two options,” Richard says.
“I wanted to give the things kids really want so they would not be sad” when people asked what that got.
“If in only two days that many children needed help, can you imagine how many need it in a week? A month? A year?
“If I ... can make a big difference with my small hands, can you imagine the change everyone could make if they only went to the food bank once a week with a can of food or a special gift that would brighten someone’s day?” Richard asks.
“Maybe what I did can inspire someone else to make a difference in their lives.”
kwalenga@gvnews.com | 547-9739
A local middle school student hopes you will, and he’s setting an inspirational example himself.
This teenager told the Sahuarita Sun he really doesn’t want this story to be about him. Instead, 13-year-old Richard Cesare wants to remind us that “even in these two towns of big houses, there are kids going to bed hungry and without warm clothes tonight.”
His compassion and generosity made Christmas much merrier for 92 area children “who really needed some help from a neighbor,” as Richard puts it.
To accomplish the goal he set for his 2006 “giving project,” Richard started last January.
“I cleaned yards, earned money through fund-raiser prizes and academic competitions,” he said, noting that “doing your homework can really pay big money.”
Richard also washed dogs and read the newspaper to a vision-impaired man who paid him a dollar every day Richard read to him.
Saving for ‘giving project’
“I added my allowance and hit my parents up for extra jobs to earn money. I gave my tithe and the rest went to my giving project,” he explains.
Richard raised more money in 2006 than he ever had before.
“I was able to buy the cool gifts: MP3 players, personal DVD players and movies, and even a few hand-held game systems. Dolls, bears, trucks. You name it, I probably had it.
“Christmas is not Christmas without lots of chocolate, so there was tons of that, too,” he points out.
Working with the Green Valley Community Food Bank, he gave the gifts out to children of Food Bank clients on Dec. 21-22.
“The kids would walk up at the food bank and hand me a white slip that said how many children in the family and their ages,” he explains. “I could make sure that they each got a gift and a bag of candy.
“I ended up with 41 slips of paper that represented 92 Sahuarita and Green Valley children.
Hugs and thanks
“What a surprise it was for the kids. This one little girl must have said thank you 20 times, and she hugged me four times,” Richard recalls.
“I actually randomly gave her exactly what she was hoping for. Her mom hugged me and whispered ‘thank you, I couldn’t get it for her.’”
“You would not believe the smiles on people’s faces,” says Lisa Kemper, branch manager of the Green Valley Community Food Bank. “The kids and their parents were just moved.
“For a young man to give of himself (like that), we were all just amazed,” Kemper said. “Most children are not willing to give so much of themselves to others.
“I’m so proud of him and motivated.”
Richard, now a seventh-grader at Sahuarita Middle School, recalls that it all started when he was in kindergarten.
“I had a friend ... who would ask for the leftover food of other students. She would wrap it in napkins and put it in her backpack.
Those going without
“I asked her why she did that and she told me her family didn’t always have food,” Richard recalls. “Every year since then, I noticed other kids who do the same thing.
“Two years ago, I had a friend who always wore shorts in the winter. I asked him why one day, because he was clearly cold, and he told me that’s all he had.
“That year, I adopted his whole family with my savings and bought them all new winter clothes.”
According to Richard’s mother, Lea Cesare, “this is who Richard is and has always been. He has always had a gift for noticing things others overlook, both good and bad.
“The first time he noticed a child saving school lunch food for dinner, it really changed him.”
Richard raises the money on his own, and his mother helps him watch for sales.
“He was sure he knew what boys would want, but needed help in shopping for girls,” she notes.
“Richard has always been very giving. His father and I are very proud of him,” she adds.
Living his faith
Richard points out that, “I don’t do it for recognition or so people see me. I do it because I am a Christian who doesn’t want to only say the words, but wants to live them.”
He believes that if people notice you living by your faith, they will see what God can do in your life.
“God depends on us to help our neighbor,” he says, noting that if a family cannot afford food and clothes, Christmas gifts are not likely, either.
When these kids go back to school, most teachers ask all their students what they got for Christmas.
“They either have to lie or say nothing, which is going to get them made fun of later in the day. Nobody should ever have only those two options,” Richard says.
“I wanted to give the things kids really want so they would not be sad” when people asked what that got.
“If in only two days that many children needed help, can you imagine how many need it in a week? A month? A year?
“If I ... can make a big difference with my small hands, can you imagine the change everyone could make if they only went to the food bank once a week with a can of food or a special gift that would brighten someone’s day?” Richard asks.
“Maybe what I did can inspire someone else to make a difference in their lives.”
kwalenga@gvnews.com | 547-9739
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