LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Young Orindan to be recognized for charity work


Olive, 6, and Caden Morrow, 8, at their bake sale. Photo provided

Caden Morrow of Orinda is one of two children who will be given "Children Have the Power to Empower" awards by Yours Humanly, a nonprofit group, at its annual Break a Sweat for Education 5K Run and Walk in Walnut Creek on Oct. 8. Caden, who is 8 years old, is being honored for raising money for orphaned children in Haiti, which was donated through the Center for Hope - Haiti.

Caden thinks it is really fun to bake, so he held a bake sale to raise money for the cause. He and his 6-year-old sister Olive baked, along with their mother, and held the sale in front of Glorietta Elementary School, where Caden is a second-grader. His little sister helped a lot, Caden said, and they raised several hundred dollars for the charity. Caden also solicited funds from visitors to his home, giving them copies of a letter that he had written about the plight of children in Haiti in exchange for $1.

Morrow learned about the problems in Haiti from Mindful Littles, a nonprofit organization founded by Orinda women Tanuka Roy Gordon and Julie Atkinson, whose son, Trey, is one of Caden's friends. Mindful Littles, which nominated Caden for the Yours Humanly award, does monthly or quarterly events for young people, one of which benefited the Center of Hope Haiti last year.

At the event, Caden and others saw a slide show about the problems faced by Haitian children, including the lack of running water and electricity. The presentation really showed what life is like in Haiti, according to Caden's mother, Kim Sobel Morrow. Afterward, the children created sanitation kits to send to the children in Haiti, including toiletries such as toothbrushes, and wash clothes.

Caden was very surprised to learn that he was getting the award, which includes a personalized certificate and medal, a profile on the Yours Humanly website, a YouTube channel, and through social media, but he feels happy and "super proud" about his work for these children. Glorietta Elementary School Principal Ron Langer praised Morrow during a recent school assembly.

The Children Have the Power to Empower Award is open to children 15 years and younger, across the United States. Nominations must be made by an adult and within one year of the act of goodness. For award rules and an application, visit http://www.YoursHumanly.org, and click on the Power to Empower tab.