Becky Dubner
10 year-old sponsors 47 children!
Every year since she was seven, 10-year-old Becky Dubner has asked her family and friends not to give her toys or clothes at her birthday. Instead she asks for money for Half the Sky: “I don’t care how much money they give as long as they give something,” says Becky. Sometimes Becky’s friends give her a little present along with the money, but Becky says she would rather get money than a toy: “I think it’s much better to give to others instead of having things. If you get toys for your birthday you play with them for a short time, but they’re not going to last long. It’s not something to remember for a lifetime. What I’ve done, I can remember that forever.”
To help her remember, Becky keeps a scrapbook with the progress reports and photos of all the children she’s sponsored. Actually, the scrapbook has swelled to two volumes-- Becky has raised enough money to sponsor 47 children! When Becky hears from Half the Sky that a child she was sponsoring has been adopted, she puts a big ADOPTED! note in the scrapbook. Becky also uses the scrapbook to show her family and friends where the money they gave is going and how much good it is doing for the children in China.
Becky’s motivation to collect money from Half the Sky came from her six-year-old sister Lauren. Both Becky and Lauren were born in China but Becky, who was in a foster family, got better care than Lauren did at her orphanage. Lauren didn’t look healthy--she had boils and rashes on her body. Becky wants every child in a Chinese orphanage to receive loving care: “I want the children in orphanages in China to be healthy. I want them to have entertainment and not just sit in their cribs watching the ceiling all day.”
Becky is thrilled that the money she raises goes to hire nannies and preschool teachers who love the children: “I’m proud of what I did and I feel really proud of myself.”
Becky’s mother Anne is just as proud: “We always give back to the community. That’s really important to us as a family.” In that family tradition Anne says Becky has become a relentless fundraiser: “You should see the look on her eyes when we count that money, check after check after check.”
Here is a sample of one of Becky’s birthday invitations:
Dear Friends and Family,
For the past three years, on my birthday, I have raised money for children in orphanages in China. The money I have raised has helped to care for more than 30 Chinese babies. This is my way of giving back to the children and the country of my birth. I am asking you to PLEASE help me to help them again this year.
INSTEAD OF bringing a gift for me to my party, can you please bring a check made out to “Half the Sky” Organization? This is the best gift I could ever receive!