One in a MILLION!
This week, we’re praising the heartfelt work of Judy Silberrad, 61, from Milton Keynes. She said…
Gazing at the calendar hanging on the wall, one date stood out. 16 December. My birthday – and my sixtieth birthday no less in 2022.
‘I want to do 60 nice things for my sixtieth,’ I told my husband Hugh, now 62.
So, I divided my 60 nice things into groups of 12 to make my target less daunting.
At first, I wanted to do nice things for myself, like trying 12 new recipes and reading 12 new books.
But I realised I could also do nice things for others, like sending bunches of flowers to 12 different people to cheer them up.
Then, one day, my phone lit up with a new email.
Help a project in a country like Asia, Africa or Latin
America… the email read.
It was a newsletter from Toybox – a charity dedicated to registering birth certificates to underprivileged children.
I’d been following their work since 2008, ever since Toybox raised money by selling beanies and colourful wooden crosses at my local church.
Learning that without a birth certificate, these children wouldn’t have access to healthcare and education, my heart broke.
The hardships these children faced, all because their families were living in poverty, unable to afford to register their births, was unimaginable.
I need to do something, I decided then and there.
Especially as I’d always been fond of children, having two of my own – Guy, 32, and Jack, 30 – and being a primary school teacher for 17 years.
‘I want to register 12 more birth certificates,’ I told Hugh.
I’d already registered 20 before. But I wanted to make my total 32 – one for every child in my classroom.’
Ringing up Toybox, I set up a monthly direct debit of £10.
I put up leaflets in the school staffroom, determined to get others involved, too.
Instead of birthday gifts that year, I asked for donations.
And, within a year, my hard work paid off.
Receiving an email from Toybox, I hadn’t registered 32 certificates. I’d registered 44.
Not only had I met my goal – I’d gone and smashed it, too.
Now, I get emails from Toybox telling me what the children I’ve helped are up to.
One of them is studying to become a teacher – just like me.
Knowing that I’ve given them a chance at a better life makes me so proud.
Jack even gifted me a birth certificate for Christmas last year, bringing my total to 45.
While I’ve managed to tick off most of the 60 things on my list, I’ve still got 12 gardening jobs to do – something I’ll pick up once I retire this summer.
But even then, I’ll continue donating to Toybox.
It only takes a few pennies to make a huge difference.
● For more, visit: toybox.org.uk
The kids couldn’t even go to school