VILONIA — Vilonia homeowners sifted through their splintered, mangled houses while four Mount Vernon friends skated, laughed and had fun as if they had no cares in the world.
While Vilonia tornado victims pleaded for help and basic necessities, the young foursome pleaded for birthday presents for their joint party.
In one city, folks suddenly had nothing. In the other, four girls had everything they could possibly need.
It’s a contrast that even the birthday girls could see.
“We have a lot,” Kayla Hawks said. “We’re lucky. We could have lost everything in a tornado. That would be really sad.”
Kayla and three of her friends — Alaina Ellis, Taylor Keathley and Gracie Raby — recently celebrated their 10th birthdays with a joint party.
The Mount Vernon- and Enola-area girls, who all have birthdays within a week of each other, celebrated their good fortune by helping those less fortunate.
The birthday girls donated their presents, cash and basic necessities to two third-grade girls who lost all of their possessions in the Vilonia tornado.
“Since we already have a lot, we thought it would be nice to help those girls,” Kayla said. “I didn’t really think about presents for myself. I just thought it would be nice to help, and everyone else agreed.”
Kayla, Alaina, Taylor and Gracie hosted a typical birthday party with skating and cake, but the gifts weren’t so typical.
In lieu of presents for them, the four asked their guests to bring canned goods, clothes, toiletries and other donations for the third-grade tornado victims they had never met.
The Mount Vernon and Enola communities heard of the birthday girls’ good deed and donated to their cause as well.
In the end, the foursome raised $467 and collected a “whole bunch” of items for their Vilonia neighbors.
“If it was us in the tornado, I think those girls would have done the same for us,” a shy Taylor said. “We just think it’s good to help if we can.”
Taylor and her friends did not ask for accolades for their selflessness.
In fact, Kayla asked her mother, Theresa Hawks, if it would be bragging to tell their story to the media. Her mother assured it was OK to tell the story if someone asked her about it.
“I’m very proud of that fact that at 10 years old, these girls can see how blessed they are and help others,” Theresa said.
Alaina feels especially blessed. She was in Vilonia at her grandparents’ house when the tornado ripped through town.
She said the roof blew off as they sought shelter in a back room. She also had family in the Black Oak Ranch subdivision, which was hit hardest.
“It was scary,” Alaina said. “I feel sorry for those girls who lost everything.”
Gracie knew she had to help the Vilonia victims after she got a firsthand look at the devastation.
She could not believe what she saw and said she can‘t imagine how the third-graders felt.
“It was pretty sad,” Gracie said. “It was probably torture for them. I don’t really know what it would be like to lose everything.”
Kayla, Alaina, Taylor and Gracie may get a chance to meet the girls they helped. They learned about the girls through a Vilonia third-grade teacher. She plans to arrange a meeting when her students are ready for it.
“If I could talk to them, I would ask them if they felt really good being helped,” Kayla said. “I would feel good that people would help me if I lost everything.”
“I want to hear from them to see if they liked the stuff we gave them,” Gracie said.
All four girls said they are just doing what they have been taught. They said their families and their communities have taught them how to give without expecting anything in return. When someone needs help, they don’t think twice about giving it in any situation.
“Helping out is a lot better than being a bystander,” Kayla said. “It’s like when you see someone getting bullied at school. You have to tell another person so it will stop. You can’t act like you don’t care. The kid that’s being bullied needs help.”
Maybe Kayla learned that from her mother, Theresa, who happens to be a teacher. But Theresa said it takes more than one to raise a child.
“I think this community raises all the kids together,” Theresa said. “They see a giving spirit from everybody. These kids are kind of the rule here.”
Kayla and her friends said they let one rule guide them.
They said if you be nice to others, they will be nice to you. They deemed it important to help the third-graders start new.
“It’s important because we would have been very super sad if we lost everything,” Kayla said. “It would’ve been the saddest day we would’ve ever had in our lives.
“That could’ve been us.”