Photo: NeAnni Y. Ife
Grace Callwood was only seven years old when she received news from her doctor that would change her life forever.
In 2011, the Maryland woman, now 18, was diagnosed with Stage IV non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which occurs when cancer of the lymph system has spread to other parts of the body.
“I was the type of kid that never liked to miss school or anything, but we had to go to the doctors,” she recalls to PEOPLE. “I had no idea what cancer was or really what it meant until I had it. Then, I just knew that my life had changed completely.”
While in the hospital, Callwood says she noticed other children suffering from illnesses. She says many did not have a support system, so she decided to take action.
“All I could think about was how I related to those two little girls, just in that we had both entered life-changing situations,” Callwood says. “I had become a critically ill child, and they had become homeless within an instant.”
Over the past ten years, Callwood, now cancer-free, has helped over 25,000 children from Africa to Ohio, receiving $155,000 in awards for her work, all of which she donated.
NeAnni Y. Ife
In 2020, Callwood was named one of theHormel Foods 20 Under 20 Inspiring Young Food Heroesat a virtual ceremony held at the Harvard Food Institute.
“Happiness has always been a huge thing for me,” Callwood says. “I like making people happy and seeing other people happy. Everyone talks about finding your passion and building from there. And at seven years old, making other people happy was my passion. So I could build upon that and help others using that.”
She continues: “Although my passion has grown, and that’s what I plan to explore in college. Making other people happy, especially those that need it the most is something that’s been key to me.”
In her home state, Callwood created Camp Happy, a free summer enrichment day camp for homeless children, in 2015. That initial project later became three transitional housing programs for homeless families.
By 2020, that program expanded to reach foster care group homes and students enrolled in Title I schools. Callwood also introduced an all-virtual model of Camp Happy, helping children worldwide.
In 2016, her foundation’s all-youth board of advisors opened La Magnifique Boutique, a free full-service boutique that offers shoes, clothes and jewelry for teen girls living in foster care groups. They also developed the We Cancerve Pediatric Patient Assistance Fund to help families who have sick children at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore.
In addition to this work, Callwood created the “Do Good Drop In” event to prepare weekend food bags for children experiencing food insecurity.
Callwood is also set to serve her second week as a student page at the State House in Annapolis and is awaiting college responses. But, most of all, she hopes her story can inspire others to do good.
“Every little bit helps,” she says. “People donating one time, or giving one thing, or deciding to go to a service project even only for a little while, will make a difference. The impact can be amazing.”
source: people.com
