Successful Fundraising Allows Valentine Mission to Continue
Seven year-old Annabelle Celkis, better known as Annabelle Valentine this time of year, is preparing to spread Valentine love and cheer in downtown Manchester for the 4th year. As Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday in 2015, a day when many downtown businesses are closed and the sidewalks bare, Annabelle is planning to pass out valentines after school on Friday, Feb 13th.
It has become a tradition for Annabelle and her mother to celebrate Valentine’s Day this way when Annabelle decided she wished to spread love around her village like the main character in the book Ruby Valentine. Last year she expressed her desire to bring love to children who needed it and hurt soldiers, so her mission expanded to throwing a Valentine’s party for children at the Family Staples Center, a family shelter in Ann Arbor and bringing valentines to veterans at the Veterans Hospital. Click HERE to read more about her experience.
After Valentine’s Day last year, her mother, Stephanie Celkis posted Annabelle’s mission on Facebook and asked for donations of post-holiday, marked-down super-hero themed valentines. To her surprise she received thousands of valentines for Annabelle to use from all over the country.
Although so many valentines were donated, there are a lot of expenses that go into throwing the party at the shelter and assembling the treats Annabelle hands out. And while last year, all of the pizza for the party was donated, Stephanie wanted to be able to pay for it this year. As Valentine’s Day got closer this year, her family was under financial strain and Stephanie began to worry about how to pay for it all. She started a gofundme site with the goal of $500. In just 3 days she’d raised more than $700, at which point Stephanie posted asking everyone to stop donating because they were going to get everything they needed! In addition to the donations, Stephanie received encouraging messages. “The support was overwhelming,” she said.
With the donated money they will be able to order pizzas, prizes and decorations for the shelter, puzzle books and pencils for the veterans, and flowers for the nurse station and women at the shelter. Stephanie expressed gratitude toward everyone who donated. “I have never experienced anything like this,” she said,”Before our 2015 adventure of Annabelle Valentine begins, it has already started. Don’t ever doubt the good in this world. You are making my little girl’s dreams come true, and you will be touching others in ways you can’t even imagine. I wish everyone could be a fly on the wall of the events that will play out. So many people hurt in this world, and when a little girl gives them some unexpected love, it melts it away for a bit.”
Keep an eye out in downtown Manchester the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 13th for a little girl pulling a wagon of Valentines. That will be Annabelle with a valentine for you!
editors note: The article originally incorrectly identified the family shelter as “Alpha House” instead of “Family Staples Center”.
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