A teenager from Staffordshire, England, is showing the world the power of kindness, one small act at a time.
When the pandemic shut his school down in March 2020, then 17-year-old Sebbie Hall was crushed that he wouldn’t be able to talk to his friend. While Sebbie could chat over a video call, his friend couldn’t because he didn’t have a device for it. Determined to find a way to communicate, Sebbie offered to give up his own iPad.
His mom, Ashley Hall, soon presented him with an even better idea: What if he could find a way to raise enough money to buy a device not only for his friend, but for other students in need as well?
After brainstorming how he could earn the funds, Sebbie finally figured out what he could do. “I can be kind,” he said.
At first, his goal was to raise £1,000 (about $1,390) by doing 10 sponsored acts of kindness in 10 days. Once he met that goal, he donated every penny to charities and bought his friend a device. He was planning to stop there, but Sebbie discovered something about himself.
“Kindness is my superpower,” he said. “I’m not stopping. I want to raise more money and make more people happy.”
Performing random acts of kindness can be intimidating for anyone, but Sebbie taking them on is quite literally a miracle. He has a rare chromosome anomaly as well as learning difficulties. There was even a time when he was told he’d never be able to walk or talk.
“It’s hard for any young person to go up to random strangers and speak to them, and even harder for Sebbie because he finds it really hard to find words,” Ashley said. “But he somehow found this inner strength of being kind.”
That very strength has led Sebbie to perform over 1,600 acts of kindness. He reached this impressive number through a wide variety of tasks, including walking neighbors’ pets, washing cars, handing out PPE, giving coats to the homeless, and even collecting unwanted Halloween pumpkins so they could be turned into soup and pies for people in need.
The selfless teen has garnered attention from all over the world, leading to over £28,000 (about $39,000) in donations on his Crowdfunding page. With this money, he’s helped fund plenty of good causes. He has supported a rugby team with disabilities, purchased communication kits for kids at four specialist schools, and set up an arts hub for people with disabilities!
Sebbie’s next big goal is to raise enough money to set up physical therapy suites by running 2 miles a day.
With his determination and the massive amount of support that he’s been receiving, he’s sure to reach his goal. In fact, he’s even gotten the attention of celebrities such as actress Joanna Lumley and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
It’s truly incredible to see how one person has the ability to impact so many lives. According to Sebbie’s mom, she can see the positive effects his kindness has had on him, too.
“It’s given him a position within his own community and a confidence that he didn’t have before. What he has done is absolutely incredible,” Ashley said. “I am immensely proud of him.”
Don’t forget to share Sebbie’s story to encourage more acts of kindness.
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