Fifteen-year-old Chelsey Grote and 7-year-old Raymond Clark forged a bond that has blossomed into an inspiring lesson in kindness. It started in early December when the Tri-Valley sophomore volunteered to help first graders make holiday ornaments. Right away, Chelsey was taken by this lively little boy with a big heart. "He was just so nice to everybody and he wanted hugs and he was just so sweet."
Chelsey had her heart set on buying a camera with some of the Christmas money her mom had given her. But Kelly Roskens wanted to add more meaning to this Christmas, so she urged her children to spend some of their one-hundr
ed dollars on others. Chelsey knew right away who would top her Christmas list. Kelly Roskens said, "And she said, mom, I would like to give my $100 to Raymond. And I said okay, Chels, but that means no camera this year, and I said are you sure you want to do that? And she said yes, I want to give it to Raymond." Without hesitation, Chelsey gave up hopes for a Christmas camera to surprise the little boy who had touched her so deeply. Chelsey said, "I wrote them a letter to tell them why I was giving it to them, I told them how I met Raymond and how nice he was and then I told him not to open it until Christmas."
Raymond's mom Amy Clark said, "Tears were rolling down my eyes as I was reading this letter from this girl that I didn't even know. For a sophomore in high school, she's got a lot of goodness in her heart."
A grateful Raymond used Chelsey's gift to buy presents for himself and his older sister Sarah. Yet, there was still plenty of money left over. But you didn't want to keep all the money for yourself, why not? Raymond said, "Because I want to be sweet to people."
Raymond bought a remote-control toy that was presented Thursday to a Sanford Health cancer patient, 4-year-old Seth Fennema of Edgerton, Minnesota. Amy Clark said, "Actually, it cost more than his gift, so I was impressed that he would choose a better gift for somebody else than he got for himself."
Chelsey said, "It just further proved how sweet he is."
What Chelsey didn't know at the time she gave her money to Raymond was he had spent much of his young life in the hospital. Raymond was born with a serious heart condition. He's undergone three surgeries and doctors never expected him to live this long. Raymond hopes his gift, courtesy of Chelsey's generous heart, will provide Seth with a healing touch. "Cuz he was sick and not feeling good in the hospital."
Amy Clark said, "And that's the spirit of this whole gift, it keeps on giving. It's going to put a smile on somebody else's as well. Her thought of putting a smile on Raymond's face just expanded and became a very loving gesture."
No one knows how many more Christmases Raymond will be able to celebrate. But as long as there are friends like Chelsey, Christmas for Raymond comes every day. "He's living proof that he's got a purpose in life, even if it's to do something like this. It makes a difference. We're all about making a difference."
Chelsey ended up getting her camera. after all. Chelsey's grandmother bought her one.
