| By Corinne Murdock | Christmas cheer came a little early this year, in the form of 7-year-old Avery Bell – the elementary school girl hopes to raise enough money to buy Christmas toys for the 14,000 foster children of Arizona, and she needs your help. Avery and her family call their effort, “Fidgets for Fosters.” Fidget toys are small, often colorful objects usually made from plastic or rubber. Apart from helping to pass the time, some studies indicate that fidget toys may alleviate stress and anxiety as well as help concentration. They may be purchased for as low as $1 – Avery’s goal is to raise at least $14,000. Greater awareness of fidget toys emerged with the rise in popularity of “fidget spinners” around 2017 – a metal or plastic toy with three arms that children can hold between two fingers and spin. Avery told AZ Family that she’s confident these toys can bring joy to those in the foster care system, based on how they helped her this past summer. “It would make them happy, and when they grow up, they can give them to another kid and to another kid and keep going, spreading joy all over the world,” said Avery. Avery was inspired to buy gifts for Arizona’s foster care children after she broke her leg and was temporarily confined in a wheelchair over the summer. Avery’s father Andrew Schmid explained that’s when she discovered fidget toys, and how much joy they brought her. “That made her think about foster kids; maybe they had challenging days, and maybe having fidget toys would help them get through their day and cope with some of their challenges,” shared Schmid. According to Foster Focus Mag, the holidays are hard for many children in the system: they may not get to experience Christmas, may be missing their families, or they may be processing negative experiences from holidays past. Readers can help Avery make Christmas come true by donating to her GoFundMe page here. As of press time, she was well over halfway to her goal. |
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
