CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The bitter temperatures are dangerous for people in our area who don't have shelter or the proper gear to ward off the winter weather. That’s why 10-year-old Jaylan Henderson started a campaign called “Jaylan's Journey to Stop Homelessness.”
Jaylan saved up money for months in order to buy more than 500 hats, scarves, gloves and a special teddy bear to keep those in need warm.
The 10-year-old was emboldened by the man whose message of kindness and empowerment we celebrate to this day.
“Martin Luther King Jr. inspired me,” Jaylan said.
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On King’s birthday, the boy wanted to give back to some of Charlotte’s most vulnerable neighbors.
“My wonderful son, Jaylan -- he has a passion for homeless people and we just like giving back,” said his mother, LaGina McClinton. “They need gloves, they need hats.”
McClinton and a team of family friends helped her son plan, organize and hand out items in the freezing cold. It’s a gift Tonia Barnes received at the perfect time while she stays at the Salvation Army’s women and children’s shelter in north Charlotte.
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“A lot of days, I slept in my car, I slept in abandoned buildings, I slept in abandoned houses,” Barnes said.
The small gesture from a young boy nearly moved her to tears.
“That little baby thought so much of us that he got up and he wanted to bring us hats, doughnuts, water, gloves and socks,” she said. “Wow.”
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