Meet Lily, my daughter.
Lily turned 12 in the middle of July. She's been lucky enough to have her birthday photos taken in California three times and Key Largo. Summer traveling has helped that. But this year it was only fitting this year that we finally did a library shoot. She started to love reading when she was in kindergarten and she just escaped in whatever she read.
When she turned 7, she started collecting new children's books to donate to Jayani's Treasurer Chest at Aultman Hospital. Two years before, she had her tonsils out and the nurses let her pick a toy of the toy cart after surgery. She loved the idea and how it took her mind off the pain for a short time. She had a party with friends and family for that 7th birthday and asked them to bring books instead of gifts. That first year she collected 125 items. Just last week, her 6th year of donating, she collected 2012 books plus another 404 that she purchased with a $500 grant from the Junior League of Stark County.
2614 books!
The Aultman Foundation will use those books to fill their toy cart, ER, outpatient surgery centers, Reach out and Read Program at the clinic and the Little Library outside of the College of Nursing.
It just makes our heart swell.
All of these images just fit Lily so well. She's kind, sweet, smart beyond her years, and cares about so many things. Lily definitely has a silly side to her. Besides her love of reading, she just earned purple belt in karate. She plays percussion, bass guitar and the ukulele, and is in numerous school clubs like Speech & Debate, Student Council and Power of the Pen.
You are gonna knock the socks off 8th grade.
