We’re excited to announce the winner of our September, 2023 Matt Kurtz Kindness Grant for her wonderful kindness project. The grant was given by Matt’s Kindness Ripples On (MKRO), an organization that encourages acts of kindness by helping people who have ideas for kindness projects but lack the funding to follow through on those ideas.
Congratulations to Ruby Chitsey!
She will receive $500 to help fund her acts of kindness project!
Ruby Chitsey (Harrison, AR) is the 15-year-old founder of Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents, a non-profit that fulfills small wishes to nursing home seniors.
Ruby’s mom is a traveling nurse who works at different nursing homes and sometimes Ruby would go to work with her mom. When Ruby was 11 years old, she started questioning some of the residents, asking if they could have any three things, what would they be?
Ruby wasn’t thinking about granting wishes, she was just curious.
“I was very surprised. I thought people would say money, houses, a Lamborghini.” Ruby said. “But it was the little things they were asking for – like a fluffy blanket, new shoes, haircuts, cat food, comfortable pillows and books. Like, that’s all they wanted and I really decided that I needed to do something.”
That’s when she started Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents.
“There is so much loneliness in the nursing homes. Well over 90% of the nursing home residents have less than one visitor per month. We visit, listen and respond to their needs. We make their life sweet again.”
Ruby points out that the government funds over half of our nursing home patients in the US. These patients are allotted $40 cash/month for “extras” – anything not covered under room and board. A haircut is “extra.” Taking care of your dog is “extra.” If they don’t have family that can cover the gaps, they go without. Ruby is here to tell you that these things are not “extra.” She says, “These extras are the things that make life sweeter.”
Ruby and her “Kid Board,” comprised of youth activists who want to make a difference in the lives of nursing home seniors nationwide, have fulfilled over 40,000 wishes so far.
Ruby says, “Kindness is my hobby.” How can you not love that? We are so amazed at how much Ruby has accomplished and how many lives she has touched with her kindness. We’re proud to have Ruby as part of our MKRO family and happy to award her our Kindness Grant.
This grant is given in honor of Matt Kurtz, (1985-2017), a young man whose personal philosophy was to live an honorable, compassionate and non-judgmental life. To give for the sake of giving, to expect nothing in return, to be aware of the world around him and to step in to help others without being asked whenever he saw the need. Matt believed in the ripple effect of a simple act of kindness – like a pebble dropped in water, it goes on and on. You can find out more about how Matt lived his life, examples of his many acts of kindness, big and small, and why this grant was created on MattsKindnessRipplesOn.com.
