Nine-year-old Tayler Johnson had the wish list for most little girls at Christmas -- the obligatory Nintendo games, a pair of boots, and hair accessories -- were among the things that she wanted, and she got them all and then some. But when her mother, Erica Johnson, pointed out to a pleased Tayler how fortunate she was as there were many children in The Bahamas that did not get anything for Christmas, that made the youngster sit back, take stock and decide that she wanted to do something for her peers who were less fortunate.
The fifth grade Yellow Elder Primary School student decided to make a donation to her school so that children who did not eat breakfast before coming to school would be able to get something to eat.
Taylor took $260 and purchased a supply of cornflakes, oatmeal, cream, sugar, spaghetti, noodles, spoons and bowls which she presented to the school. It was a gesture that made her mother proud.
"After she had opened her Christmas gifts, as we were talking, knowing the type of person that she is who likes to do community service, I said to her that she was so blessed and for her to think of some way that she could give back to less fortunate kids, or at least one child who is less fortunate than she is."
Johnson said Tayler, a prefect at the school, thought about it and after realizing that she could do anything, anywhere to help anyone, she decided she wanted to do what she could to help her peers at her school, as she realized there was a need there.
"She told me that she noticed that children would be going into the guidance counselor's office... She is a prefect, so I guess she's in the office more than I realized doing whatever duties she has to do as a prefect," said Johnson, who also teaches second grade at Yellow Elder Primary. "But she noticed that children were going into the guidance counsel office in the morning and some were eating breakfast because they didn't have any, so she said she could maybe do something there. I suggested to her that she go to the guidance counselor [Sherene Grey] when she had some time and to ask what was needed and she did that."
Johnson, who described Tayler as a loving and giving child who would go out of her way to make people smile, said she expected her child to step up to the plate to help someone less fortunate, but that she was surprised when Tayler decided she wanted to make her donation to the school.
"I didn't expect it to go back home to the school. I thought she would say there's a child at church that she would have wanted to buy a gift for ... I thought that may have happened, but I was happy to hear that she was thinking about Yellow Elder Primary School and that she could do something there, seeing that's the school that she attends."
To pay for the grocery items, Tayler was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for someone her age. She was willing to spend $80 that she had won for selling the most cookies in the 36th Girl Guide Brownie Unit during Girl Guides Cookie Month. And she was willing to use it all to help her peers who did not get something to eat before coming to school, so that they would be able to eat.
But her mother knew that $80 would not go very far in the grocery store.
"As a mother I was thinking she's going shopping with $80, I don't know if that's going to be enough, so I offered to match her $80, then she decided to call her grandmother, Evie Sturrup and asked her to match her funds as well."
Tayler went shopping and did overspend. She purchased just over $260 worth of groceries.
Turning $80 into $260 worth of groceries to help ensure her peers get something to eat before school made Tayler feel proud. And she made the donation without fanfare, either. She says her peers do not even know what she did (at least not until now) and she didn't care whether they knew or not.
"It was a gift from the heart," said the fifth grade student who believes she got her giving spirit from her mother and grandmother.
"I realized that I am very blessed and children at my school get bullied because they don't get stuff like that [speaking about her Christmas gifts]. I wanted to give something to school to show that I care," she said.
Tayler, the last of three siblings, said she felt good about what she did and would do it again.
Her advice to her peers who may decide to emulate her is for them to not just give as she did.
"Give it as you really want to do it and it comes from the heart," she said.
While to many of her peers Taylor may be a "superhero" right now because she willingly sharing her bounty with them, she's still just your average kid. While she can boast of having a 3.76 grade point average, like most students she as a favorite subject (math) and a least favorite subject (science).
But she also knows that getting an education is important, especially as she wants to emulate her mother and become a teacher as well. She's already acting in that role as Taylor uses her dolls to help her study. She pretends her dolls are students and she goes over her lessons by teaching them.
"Going to school to me means that I will learn how to do my best and make others, and myself, proud."
Quite apart from her duties as a prefect, Tayler is also involved in Art Club, Student Christian Movement (SCM) and K Kids at school.

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