The smile that lights up the face of a nursing home resident is the sunshine that Ruby Kate Chitsey lives for. Ruby is the 15-year-old CEO and founder of Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents, where wishes are fulfilled for seniors in convalescent homes who may lack friends, family, and funds. “Growing up with nursing home seniors, I created a bond with them,” she explains, reflecting on her younger years of volunteering to help elderly residents. Her nonprofit provides things like Happy Meals, haircuts, soda, and candy bars to requesting seniors. These simple “wishes” bring joy and excitement to the people she serves who are usually otherwise forgotten in society.
TAKEAWAYS
Ruby and her team deliver “Smile Sacks,” which are filled with needed items for nursing home residents
The seniors in Ruby’s area were only receiving $40 per month for extra expenditures, which usually ran out within a week
Ruby’s mom was a nurse practitioner in a nursing home, which plugged the then-ten-year-old into assisting her mom as a volunteer
Visit 3WishesProject.org to learn how to start a Three Wishes project in your local nursing home