A few weeks ago, Duluthian Stacia Donovan gave her 10-year-old homeschooled daughter Jazzelle Waxvik an assignment: to complete a project that would benefit someone in the community. Jazzelle decided collect towels for the CHUM shelter.
"I thought it was a good idea because people can use them to wrap around themselves for warmth and to stay dry. And CHUM needs them because sometimes people take them with them. And then they run out of towels to use at the shelter," Jazzelle said.
Donovan said, "A friend had given me the idea, back in college, that towels are great things to donate to shelters because they always need them and they have many different purposes."
Jazzelle set a goal of collecting 50 towels and wrote a letter asking local hotels if they would donate to her project. But her mother never expected the enthusiastic response.
"After she sent out her letter, she called a dozen of the hotels back and many of them were so willing to help out. She gathered a little over 100 towels. They gave her sheets and pillowcases too, which was wonderful," Donovan said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Seven hotels donated to Jazzelle's project - Country Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, Fitger's Inn, Comfort Inn West, Sheraton Duluth Hotel, Canal Park Lodge and the Fairfield Inn. Jazzelle remembers having to take multiple trips to pick up the donations.
"It was me, my mom and dad and two sisters in car seats in the minivan, so we didn't have that much room. So we had to squish the towels and stuff into the minivan, then go back again and squish another load. It was really fun, though," Jazzelle said.
Donovan and Jazzelle brought their donation to CHUM on Nov. 10 and it was eagerly received.
"We're really grateful for Jazelle's work. It's really inspiring what she's done. To collect 17 pillowcases full of towels and pillowcases, that's amazing," said Lee Stuart, CHUM's executive director.
"The lady at CHUM gave me a tour," Jazzelle said. "And she was really happy that I gave that to them. She made an announcement and everybody clapped and said thank you to me so it felt really good."
Stuart said that CHUM's shelter holds about 60 beds each night and that extra towels and sheets are very useful to have.
"What a wonderful, wonderful generous spirit. Congrats to her and her mom and dad," Stuart said.
Jazzelle is also donating her collection to the Damiano Center, Southern St. Louis County 4-H Club and Animal Allies.
ADVERTISEMENT
"She's fantastic and it makes me really proud to see her do something like this on her own," Donovan said.
Jazzelle isn't done with her volunteer work. In fact she's already planning her next project. She hopes to get her 4-H Club to adopt a highway.
"There are so many things that people can do and doing as much as I can is what I think is very important," Jazzelle said.
Wise words from a 10-year-old.
