“It’s all about my moral duty to help people,” says Orion Jean, the 10-year old boy who is on a mission to share and donate 500,000 books by the end of August this year.
This book donation drive is called “Race to 500,000 Books”. He started the campaign on May 1 and will end by August 31, 2021.
“I want to be able to share my love of literacy with as many people as possible,” he added as he gleams with passion for reading.
The young boy wonder is not just about reading. In 2020, Jean was able to win a student kindness contest with the campaign of compassion. According to him, kindness is a virtue everyone can possess. And if we are willing to, we must start today. As he said, right now, kindness is what we need more than ever.
The campaign where he won $500, according to him, was just the start of something much bigger. The prize money he got was used to buy toys, not for himself but for the Dallas Children’s Hospital.
Jean also created food drives and partnered with a relief group where they were able to collect 100,000 meals for families living in Texas.
Now, the book donation campaign is focused on providing children who do not have the capacity to buy a book.
Jean says that it is his responsibility to help people in need especially if he has the resources to help them.
Currently, Jean has collected 120,000 and is asking people from all over the country to donate their used books.
“I hope that the impact that I have had is enough to keep people continuing to race to kindness and continuing to join me in this marathon because it’s not a sprint,” Jean said.
He also hopes that the book drive will continue for many years to come.
The spirit and attitude of Jean is something that Christians are encouraged to cultivate in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8:
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.