Five hundred and ten dollars from a six-year-old! WOW. What, pray tell, is the story behind that?

When my staff and board members first heard of this large (even by adult standards) gift, I was commissioned to look into it. We thought of Everett, the 5-year-old who went door-to-door selling bars and cookies he had made, and raised $47 to be donated to MOM. Other selfless donors who come to mind are those who give “in honor of” the grandparent “who has everything” or the married couple on their “Umpteenth Anniversary.”

Six-year-old Seth Nelson (center, in striped shirt,
just behind his friend Thomas Mulholland) was so blessed that,
for his birthday, instead of receiving gifts, he gave a big gift.

MOM occasionally receives the food and money donated “in lieu of presents.” But the “$510-from-a-6-year-old” story is different. It almost went untold, due to the humility and special circumstance of the host parties. Still, I persisted by writing to the child, visiting the parents in a restaurant, and interviewing the mother over the phone and by email. Here then is the Seth Nelson story, as told by his mother Amy:

Our son Seth turned 6 on November 20. It became evident early on that he had issues. By 13 months old, he had started to receive services due to delays in his development. By two years old, Seth was diagnosed with autism. When Seth was three, we moved to the Middleton area and enrolled him in the Wisconsin Early Autism Project to receive several types of services to help him with his special needs.

At that time, Seth was not able to speak and had many issues. As part of the program we needed “peer play partners” in our home to help Seth learn one-to-one how to play with other children. We asked the women from the Tuesday Morning Women’s Bible Study at High Point Church, where we attend, and were overwhelmed by the response.

So many mothers and their children volunteered to help Seth. For the past two years, Seth has had over 10 children from our church and surrounding community help him learn how to play. Last year, Seth began to speak. His language has since accelerated, and he’s making great gains.

We are so blessed by all who have touched our lives and Seth’s life, that we wanted to really celebrate the gift that others have given to us—the gift of themselves. We wanted to celebrate Seth’s progress, as well as give to others in need.

So we asked around. One of Seth’s little friends is Thomas Mulholland [who was featured in MOM’s September column because of his lemonade stand and contributions]. When Thomas had a birthday party, he asked his friends to bring gifts, not for himself, but for other children who were at the UW Children’s hospital, as well as cancer patients. That idea had spurred us on to thinking about how Seth could celebrate both his birthday and his friends.

After talking with Seth, we as a family decided to have a birthday party at MadTown Twisters, inviting his past peer play partners and friends—22 total. The invitation stated:

We want to thank each of you and your children for touching Seth’s life. We are very blessed by all of you. Our hearts are overflowing and we would like to celebrate Seth’s life by giving to others. Please do not bring a gift. Because Thanksgiving is soon, we would like to collect donations for the Middleton Outreach Ministry, an organization that reaches out to the needy in our community and they are in most need of money. If you feel so moved, please bring a donation (make checks payable to Middleton Outreach Ministry) in honor of Seth and his special day!

Seth’s birthday party was so special. One moment that melted our hearts was when Seth looked at all of the children and said, “These are all my friends!” Another special time was when we brought the money to Middleton Outreach Ministry. Seth said, “Here you go,” as he handed over all the money collected at the party. What a wonderful opportunity to teach Seth how being blessed can turn into blessing others.

May I remind you readers to likewise pay it forward or pass along God’s blessing to a worthy cause of your choosing. As Jesus says (John 13:17), “Now that you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” To do more with autistic kids or join the special needs ministry at High Point, you may contact Amy (or Joel) Nelson at joelamy@charter.net. For more information on holiday service opportunities, visit www.mompop.org.

© 2004 Middleton Outreach Ministry

Site design and maintenance donated by Liberty Professional Services, LLC
Hosting donated by TDS Metrocom