Official Kids Mag

By Suzanne Rhodes Special to Official Kids Mag For all the fame, awards and recognition she's received globally, nationally and in our own state of Arkansas, Ruby Kate Chitsey of Harrison is "just like everyone else," said the freshman at Valley Springs High School. Ruby's friends, teachers and family warmly support her and the nonprofit charity she founded, Three Wishes for Ruby's Residents. Official Kids Mag featured her as Kid Hero of the Month in the May 2019 issue with the story "A Super Power Called Kindness." She was 11 then. Now she's 15 and kind as ever. Besides being its founder, Ruby is the CEO of Three Wishes for Ruby's Residents. She and her Kid Board of kind and awesome kids, along with staff members and volunteers, make wishes come true for seniors in nursing homes in Arkansas and throughout the United States. These older folks are "low on family, happiness or funds," as it says on the Three Wishes website. So, what kind of wishes do the seniors ask for and get? A lot of money? A trip to Hawaii? Nope. They wish for simple things like a pair of comfy tennis shoes, circus peanuts, a pillow. And they're always very thankful for Ruby's gifts. They also love when she brings little kids in to visit. The children give residents small gifts in sacks they've decorated with their own drawings. They learn "how important seniors are and how caring and friendly they are," Ruby said in a CNN program where she was named CNN Wonder Kid of the Year in 2022. "I loved getting that award because it was a live event. It felt like more than just a medal because I met so many amazing people. I told Selena Gomez (an actress and singer) that I admired her, and she gave me the biggest hug. She said, 'No, you are the amazing one. Look what you've done. I admire YOU!'" In the CNN video, we get to see Ruby in action. "I brought Elvis today," she tells a white- haired resident, whose face up lights up when Ruby hands her a cat on loan for the day. Elvis immediately nestles into the woman's lap. "He's just as contended as he can be," she says with a smile as she strokes the soft, gray fur. Ruby loves working with seniors and told CNN, "They're just like us. They're just years older." "Ruby values humility," said her mom, Amanda Chitsey, a nurse practitioner who works in several nursing homes in and around Harrison. "I've made it a priority to show her how to navigate success with grace. It also helps that she genuinely loves seniors. Recognition was never a goal but rather a consequence of her unique work at such a young age." It was on a visit with her mom to a nursing home that Ruby got the idea to grant wishes to residents. A sad-faced senior named Pearl was missing her pet dog. Ruby decided to use the money in her piggy bank to pay a pet sitter to bring the dog for a few visits with Pearl. Since that small start from a girl with a big heart, Ruby's nonprofit, which she started in 2019, has spent over $500,000 to bring joy and practical help to seniors like Pearl. For touching so many lives, she's been called "America's granddaughter." Being the CEO of Three Wishes means devoting time to such activities as speaking nationally and locally, helping to make business and hiring decisions, and doing "small things, like cleaning, washing windows, organizing wishes and painting walls. My favorite role is being inside the nursing home and speaking." She spends anywhere from an hour to 20 hours a week at Three Wishes Community Center in Harrison. "Last week someone needed a new bed, so that took a lot of time." At school, Ruby is an enthusiastic cheerleader who loves being part of a team. "I wanted to try something new, and it's been a great experience." Her favorite subject is math. As for hobbies, she said, "Kindness is my hobby." That's the title of a book she wrote that was just published in April and tells the story of america's Granddaughter & World changer: Official Kids Mag Hero from Harrison keeps bringing love and kindness to nursing home seniors ruby Kate chitsey 26 • June 2023 • www.officialKidsMag.com

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