The Be Like Ellie Basis Encourages Acts of Kindness (Unique)

For Valentine’s Day, 6-year-old Ellie Berg painted watercolor playing cards for all 23 of her classmates, and on the again of every, she hand wrote a person be aware.

“I posted an image of her doing that, and I mentioned, “Be like Ellie,” as a result of Ellie went out of her means to try this, and we needs to be like Ellie,” her mom, 41-year-old Carly Berg remembers.

Ellie at all times informed law enforcement officials, “Thanks for conserving us protected.” On the grocery retailer, Carly remembers, she mentioned good day to strangers and complimented their sneakers to make them really feel joyful. Unprompted, she wrote letters to her 95-year-old great-grandfather. She painted kindness rocks together with her mom and grandmother. She despatched a instructor she hadn’t spoken to in years a Blissful Thanksgiving card and invited her to her upcoming dance recital.

“Folks would say to us, ‘Is she this fashion with everybody?’ As a result of she simply made folks really feel like they had been probably the most particular individual within the room,” says Carly.

Tragically, that caring, considerate little lady died in November 2023 when a tree collapsed within the household’s Boulder, Colo., yard. In Might, her grieving mother and father launched the Be Like Ellie Basis to maintain her reminiscence alive and proceed spreading kindness the best way their daughter at all times did.

“Ellie’s life was about kindness,” says Josh Berg, 43. “We wish everybody to know Ellie’s title, and we need to have the influence we consider she would [have had].”

The Bergs hosted a fundraising live performance on September 21 and raised about $30,000 for the muse.

“That is our means of parenting Ellie with out her being right here. It is ensuring that the world is aware of her, that the group is aware of her, that they keep in mind her,” Carly says. “And that her influence that she hopefully would have had, had she been right here, that we are able to nonetheless do on her behalf.”

The Be Like Ellie Basis provides “kindness grants,” which people and nonprofits can apply for. Thus far, they’ve helped a mom pay her baby’s medical invoice and a musician change stolen tools. In November, they’re internet hosting a 30-days of kindness problem on Instagram.

“All we wish is for the entire world to know Ellie,” says her mom, Carly Berg. “And to know that persons are on the market doing good.”

The Basis offers out Be Like Ellie bracelets and stickers that say “Unfold Love, Be Type, Play Music.” After the muse gifted stickers to a second grade class, the scholars wrote letters describing their plans to be sort.

“I cried,” Josh says. “It takes the smallest effort to vary the world.”

Their web site provide lists of the way folks can unfold kindness — many who value nothing — like sharing your umbrella with a stranger or writing a thank-you be aware.

“If one individual does one thing sort, you’ve got modified the world,” her father says.

For extra on Josh and Carly Berg — and different folks throughout the nation who’ve made large acts of kindness — decide up this week’s subject of PEOPLE, on newsstands now, or subscribe.