KINDNESS GOES VIRAL
Woman’s Facebook group helps hundreds of children at Christmas
Within two weeks, Kristyn Formeister’s middle-of-the-night idea for a modest act of Christmas season kindness turned into 500-plus people helping more than 100 struggling Connecticut families.
“I’m in awe and shock at the kindness of everybody out there — it’s become like one big team,” Formeister said of the “Connecticut Holiday Adopt-a-Child” campaign she created.
Struggling families from Greenwich to Willimantic have reached out for help, and Formeister’s social media campaign has linked them with donors who’ve provided toys and clothes.
WhenFormeister created the private Facebook page in early December, she kept expectations down: She invited just a few friends and was hoping to help one or two children in Southington-area families.
“I never thought it would get this big. I was just lying on the couch and couldn’t sleep one night, and I thought ‘I want to do something for somebody — where would I find a family to adopt for Christmas?’” she recalled Tuesday.
“I thought I’d start a little group to ask and shared it just with friends. Then they shared it with their friends — and those friends shared it,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s just the times we’re living in right now, with people looking for that human connection and trying to reach out with kindness — but it just blew up. “
Shannon Etergenio, who knows Formeister from their daughters’ dance lessons and Girl Scout activities, was among the scores of people who responded. She and several friends sent clothes and toys to a family in Milford.
“It was a team of friends doing this as a group, and it was bonding to do it,” Etergenio said. “And frankly it was easy for me. I jumped on Amazon and didn’t even have to go to a store, I had it shipped right to their house.”
As of a few days before Christmas, the group had grown to 529 members. Some are people seeking help; they tell what their children need and often include family pictures along with a brief explanation of their circumstances. Most are prospective donors who sign up to fill a specific family’s request.