Young Volunteers, Big Impact

A trio of young girls are showcasing the best of Yellowstone County

Avery Nelson is about 6 years removed from wearing diapers. Yet, she and her friends collected more than 2,000 diapers for the Community Diaper Drive. It’s a remarkable display of community service from a trio of elementary school students that’s quickly developing a reputation as some of the most reliable volunteers in town. 

And whatever you do, don’t suggest that they’re a bit young for this sort of work. 

“I’ve heard that a lot,” said Ireland Carley, the comparative geezer of the group. “People say you’re just kids, you have your entire life to do this… if we do it now, the world will become a better place.”

They’ve collected coats for the unhoused. They’ve raised money for thanksgiving turkeys. They’ve sold lemonade to help fund their diaper collections and donations. 

They have both the conviction and energy of the young – even if they need mom to drive the van. 

“It’s really not a lot us,” said Steph Nelson, Avery’s mom. “It’s them doing it, we help facilitate it.”

"We all became this little family"

Avery was the spark for the group; with $5 savings in hand, she was searching for a group focused on local needs to donate it to. That connected her with Family Service. From there, recruiting friends like Ireland and her younger sister Lennox was easy. 

“I knew how much other people need stuff,” Lennox Carley said. “Avery just kind of made me feel like I could do that… When other people are happy, I’m happy. It just kind of goes together.”

Volunteering and community service has only deepened the bond between the friends; their work melds into their play. 

“We all became this little family; what we want to do is how to help people,” Ireland said.

What's next?

On May 8, they delivery of more than 2,000 diapers and wipes they'd collected, plus a donation from their lemonade stand, just so happened to the diaper drive's total over the top of the 50,000 diaper goal. 

Lennox stretched toward the top of the giant thermometer that measured progress toward the overall diaper goal. She wasn’t quite tall enough, even with a little hop – and she was already a foot taller than Avery. Lennox’s older sister had her back; Ireland easy slapped on the red icon that filled the graphic to 100%. 

It was just another day's work (play?) from the trio, who was ready to pile back into mom's minivan -- with another goal in mind. 

“They’re already looking forward to the school supply drive,” Steph said.