Amalia Howard busks outside Coles Supermarket asking for donations for her fundraising to help the Wayside Chapel feed homeless people.
Amalia Howard presents her fund-raising booty to the Wesley Wayside Chapel, Kings Cross, when in Sydney recently.
Sharing happiness and kindness as well as a smile generates positive responses.
SPREADING KINDNESS and
happiness while busking to raise money for the homeless are the missions of 10-year-old Amalia Howard.
Being a ‘home schooler’ on the family property by the shores of Lake Burrendong near Mumbil, Amalia may be far away from the woes of homelessness, however, her grandmother, Carolyn Holmes volunteers each week with the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross, helping feed many of Sydney’s homeless.
And it’s from first-hand stories Carolyn tells about how hard life is for the people she is helping, that has sparked Amalia’s enthusiasm.
She now spends much of her free time busking outside Coles in Wellington and Aldi in Dubbo, raising money that she plans to donate to the Wayside Chapel to assist fund the voluntary kitchen.
Hearing of Amalia’s busking efforts, the Wayside Chapel has invited her to personally visit the Chapel with her funds donation, which now has Amalia all the more enthusiastic for a big trip to Sydney.
Originally, she wanted to raise $1000, but as people have been so generous in the past three months of busking, Amalia has already raised $1300 and has now upped her goal to $2000 and will continue to raise money until her big trip to Sydney.
When busking, Amalia uses a steel tongue drum and a crystal singing bowl to play relaxing music to entertain passers-by.
She bought the crystal singing bowl with her own birthday money as she loves how relaxing the sound is and wanted to have a tool to help people to relax and feel calm.
Amalia’s mission to spread happiness and kindness developed after learning about research that found if a person smiles at someone, that person is likely to smile at five others.
She also learnt through the DRUMBEAT program facilitated with home-schoolers by her mother, Jessica Holmes, the concept that “feelings are infectious.”
With this knowledge, she feels compelled to take it upon herself to cheer-up as many people she possibly can.
“I want to spread happiness and kindness... I could change the world!” she said.
To accomplish her mission, Amalia encourages people who donate, to take an affirmation card from a pile she has available where she busks.
She keeps busking as she watches people take a card and walk away, often with either a big smile or a happy tear.
Sometimes she gives cards to people who have said that they have no money to donate, just to keep the kindness
rolling.
Jessica posted about Amalia’s missions on facebook and she has also started raising some money online.
Every person who donates online receives an affirmation card in the mail, packed and posted by Amalia herself.
People who would like to donate can contact Amalia’s mum, Jessica on 0404 143 662 or email j.c.holmes@live.com
FOOTNOTE:
Her concept that “feelings are infectious.” she feels compelled to take it upon herself to cheer-up as many people she possibly can.
“I want to spread happiness and kindness... I could change the world!” she said.
This attitude and her fundraising of some $2400 for the Wayside Chapel at Kings Cross, has been acknowledged by 2026 NSW Women of the Year Awards in which Amalia has been named a finalist in the “ones to Watch” category.