Eleven-year-old entrepreneur for

Wissahickon Hospice and the Philadelphia Phillies recently kicked-off the 7th Annual "Popcorn Day at the Phillies," a fundraiser which benefits the David Bradley Children's Bereavement Program. Pictured are David and Doris Plager, founders of the Children's Bereavement Program, with Richard Havyer, age 11, who received support from the program. Also pictured are program coordinator Amy Zabele and Debbie Havyer.

Christina M. Dickerson

CS&T Youth & Young Adult Coordinator

Not many 11-year-olds can say that they�ve been honored at a Philadelphia 76ers game � that they were escorted onto the court, down a red carpet and called a hometown hero. Of course, not many sixth graders are leading major fund-raising campaigns to benefit God�s people in Philadelphia and abroad.

One 11-year-old, however, can claim all that, and more. Meet Richard Havyer, a sixth-grader at St. Peter�s School in Pottstown, who has been fund-raising since he was in third grade. It all started when his principal, Sister Rayangela Czarnota, O.S.S., was transferred from St. Peter�s school to the Bernadine Center in Chester.

Havyer, who had known Sister Rayangela since he was in kindergarten, wanted to help her in any way he could.

�She was always kind to me, so when she told me she was leaving to help the children in Chester, I knew that I could help her,� Havyer said. He started collecting used hats, gloves and scarves. His mother would wash them and send the items to the Center. But that wasn�t enough. Havyer wanted to help even more. He organized a gift drive at his school, where he asked students to bring in unwrapped items to benefit the Center.

The following year, people began to wonder if Havyer was going to organize his collection again. He connected with Cluster 77 Youth Director Heather Maigur, and a giving tree was set up at Holy Trinity Church in Pottstown to benefit the Bernadine Center.

Each year the collection grows � more volunteers, more donations and more contributions. Every October Havyer starts writing letters to churches and other organizations. And sure enough, each year the donations increase.

His parents are supportive of his efforts. �I am proud to call Richard my son,� Debbie Havyer said. �My husband and I are very proud of his kindness toward those in need. It brought joy to our hearts that he thought to give to people that he never met. I always say to him in the morning when I drop him off for school, �Do good. Be good. Good things will happen.��

This year, Sacred Heart Parish in Phoenixville set up the giving tree for the Center.

�Richard is very outgoing and a very nice boy,� Sister Rayangela said. �He is polite to the 100th degree. He has been donating [to the Center] for the past five years � ever since I left St. Peter�s. He is very concerned about the poor and other people.�

Havyer�s efforts eventually became news. A local paper wrote about his endeavors, and then, the Philadelphia 76ers invited him to receive an award during one of their games.

�I was surprised, and very happy that they actually cared about what I was doing,� he said.

Havyer has become, by now, more than just a �hometown hero.� His efforts don�t stop at the borders of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the state of Pennsylvania or even the United States.

Each year, his family visits a Catholic school in Grenada, one of the islands in the Caribbean. During last year�s visit, he was talking about how lucky the students were to have recess on the beach � then he learned of the island�s poverty. When he discovered that the students didn�t have books to read, he vowed to do something about it.

�I knew that I could help them by doing a collection of books,� he said. �Every kid should be able to read.�

During his first week back at St. Peter�s school, he asked the principal, Joyce Babin, if he could send a letter to all the students asking them for books to send to school children in Grenada.

�Richard is a very sensitive young man, who has realized at an early age that all people do not have what he has � a warm home, new clothing, loving parents, and a good school to attend,� Babin said. �He is a self-starter who decided to do something about this situation in any way that he could.�

When he was asked how he was going to send 200 pounds of donated books to the school children in Grenada, he simply said: �I�ll use my allowance.�

Then, when he learned it would cost a dollar per pound, he placed a collection jar at the local post office, and asked Babin and Father Ed Kuczynski, St. Peter�s pastor, if the first Friday collection could be used for the books.

�The efforts of Richard Havyer cannot be understated,� said Father Charles Dominique, O.P., parish priest of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Grenada. �It is heart-warming to find such thoughtfulness and generosity, especially in someone so young. Richard�s kindness is the sort of virtue we need to instill in people, and it is so wonderful to see this expressed by someone for people whom he did not know.�

Havyer had the postage money in hand and the books were packaged to be sent when, on Sept. 7, 2004 Hurricane Ivan hit Grenada, destroying 90 percent of the island � including the school.

Responding immediately, Havyer sent the money he collected for the postage, totaling $800, and another $140 from a neighborhood collection, to help rebuild the school.

�The devastation caused by the hurricane disrupted thousands of lives,� Father Charles said. �The Grand Anse Roman Catholic School, the beneficiary of Richard�s kindness and thoughtfulness, is still in need of much repair. But students and staff are making the best of their circumstances.

�The monetary contribution will assist in the repairs, and no doubt the books will assist the children in their learning. On behalf of the school, I again say how appreciative we are to Richard and the wonderful deeds he has done. He is truly a living example of Christ in our midst.�

What motivates this 11-year-old?

�I see that people appreciate what help I can give and it makes their life better,� he said. �I was put here by God to help others. I was taught that the two great commandments are: Love God and love one another. I am just doing what God wants me to do.�

Contact Christina M. Dickerson at (215) 587-3668 or cconaway@adphila.org.

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