Kingsway Academy sixth-grade student Sierra Blair discovered the old adage that it's better to give than to receive is true after all, and the true meaning of the Christmas season.
Like most people, Sierra was looking forward to celebrating her 11th birthday on December 19, and of course the many gifts she would receive. But the conscientious pre-teen who always thinks of others and has donated time to cleaning up beaches around the country, had an epiphany of sorts -- she wanted to give something away for her birthday -- but she wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to give away. She spoke to her mother, Tosheena Robinson-Blair about her thoughts. Her mother suggested to the youngster that she give the birthday gifts she would receive to the Bilney Lane Children's Home.
"To her credit, [Sierra] only thought about it for a minute before she agreed," said her mother.
Robinson-Blair, following her daughter's lead, used the money she would have spent on gifts for Sierra to purchase presents for displaced residents of the Bilney Lane Children's Home.
The family also asked six of the guests attending Sierra's birthday slumber party to purchase an item for a child at the home, rather than a gift for Sierra.
On Sunday, December 21 the Blairs presented the children with their gifts and the home with a small donation. Each child received two gifts.
"Thank you and God bless you," the children chimed afterwards, in the sing-song manner typical of small children, upon receiving their gifts.
"I would be sad if I didn't get anything for Christmas," said Sierra. "It made me really happy to see they were happy. I hope they like what we got them."
Donations typically roll into the home during the Christmas season followed by a drought in the ensuing months.
"I want Sierra to have a sense of giving. To whom much is given, much is expected," said Robinson-Blair. "We went to present to them, but I feel they gave something back to us. To see their little faces light up in anticipation, it was really a joy."
Prior to giving her birthday gifts to the children in the Home, Sierra had visited once before. The Blair's first encounter with the home was over a year ago as Sierra, who was then a fifth grade student was required by her school to spend time at an orphanage as a follow-up to a summer reading requirement of a book about two children living in a foster home.
"When I first went to the Bilney Lane Children's Home I got to play with the children there so I really wanted give them my birthday gifts," said Sierra.
The Home's administrator, Olivia Major said all donations, no matter how small are big donations to them.
"What we collect during the Christmas helps to keep us later. The point is we need help -- real help. Whatever you give helps the home and makes our job easier," she said.
Not only cognizant of the less fortunate, Sierra is also a smart kid. She recorded a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) at the end of the fall semester. Her cumulative GPA is 3.7.
She was also one of four nominees for Kingsway Academy's student of the year. She did not win, but was ecstatic to have been nominated out of 60 sixth grade students. Nominees had to pen a student profile at home. In school they had to write a 400 word essay on what they would do to address the crime situation in the country if they were minister of national security. They were also interviewed by a panel of judges.
Six months ago the Bilney Lane Children's Home, the charity to which Sierra displayed her charitable side, moved out of the home it had occupied for 26 years.
The small home, which caters primarily to mentally challenged children, was forced to relocate to a senior citizen's day care center in the Yellow Elder community.
"The Bilney Lane building was over 200 years old," said Major. "It was a small house on a small property. The area was no longer conducive for children."
Since the move, the Home has ramped up its year-long efforts to find a more permanent place -- Major, the Methodist Church Conference Office, the Ministry of Social Services and even a real estate company have all joined in the search for the new home, but nothing permanent has panned out as yet
"We've found places to rent, but landlords are unwilling to rent to people with children. And with us being a children's home, we are finding it almost impossible to locate a place," said Major.
"Although we appreciate our present accommodations, it's clear to see we need our own home. Ultimately, we need land and funds to build our own place. Whoever reads this ... whatever they give, no matter how small, we will appreciate it," she said.

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