Youths capture spirit of giving

On his seventh birthday, Cole Canteenwalla broke the stereotype of self-entitlement that dogs his generation.

That wasn't Cole's primary goal when he told friends to bring money, not presents, to his September birthday party.

His reason: "So I could help other kids get new stuff," he said.

He collected $500, an amount of money he doesn't fully grasp, especially because he never saw the actual cash.

"They brought money, but it wasn't, um, money," Cole tried to explain. "It was paper, but …"

"They're called checks," prompted his mother, Elizabeth Blau.

The money was donated to Communities in Schools of Nevada, which provides school supplies, clothing and more to underprivileged children. Blau is a member of the board but didn't force Cole to make the request for donations.

Her example of service may have planted the giving seed in her son, but it was Cole's friend, Zephyr Simus, who helped it germinate. Zephyr had made the same request at his seventh birthday party earlier in September, which Cole attended. That's when Cole decided to do the same thing.

Zephyr embraced the idea after his mother suggested it "because I was running out of space in my room," he said, shyly covering his mouth and nose with both hands.

But there's more to it than that for his mother, Cynthia Mun, who worries that she is raising Zephyr in a "bubble" of privilege.

"Everyone wants to be in his shoes," she said. "But how do I raise a child to not be a spoiled brat without putting him through what I've experienced?"

She grew up on the receiving end of charity, a South Korean immigrant living in Los Angeles. Her mother was a seamstress for MGM Grand, and her father was an electrician.

Mun was the first in her family to attend college, earning degrees in fine art and molecular biophysics/biochemisty from Yale University. Her husband, Montgomery Simus, went to Harvard University and works in corporate sales for Gibson Guitar Corp.

Their son probably will never want, which creates a challenge Mun never thought would be hers. It's the problem of rearing a child who is part of an entitled generation.

"Giving should be a part of his repertoire," she said, adding that Zephyr is just old enough to understand what giving means.

Zephyr, a first-grader, and Cole, a second-grader, attend the Alexander Dawson School.

Zephyr did receive birthday gifts from family members, but he agreed to donate the proceeds from his party with friends. He didn't comprehend what that really meant until he went to the nonprofit to give the money away, Mun said. Like Cole, Zephyr also raised about $500.

"In his savings account, he has less than that," Mun said. "He had to give away what he should've had."

The sacrifices made by Zephyr and Cole are what make the donations astonishing, said Terri Clark, state director of Communities in Schools. Children have put on food drives for the nonprofit before, but these two boys donated what should have been theirs.

"For me, that's a step above asking someone else to give their food," Clark said. "This is great because you hear a lot about what's wrong with kids these days."

SON TEACHES PARENTS TO GIVE

The down and out at the Las Vegas Rescue Mission on Bonanza Road near D Street sing "Happy Birthday" to Blaze Trumble every year in the cafeteria.

It has been that way every Thanksgiving eve since Blaze's fifth birthday in 2007. That's when he made a shocking birthday party request: "Let's go help the homeless."

The family lives in Boulder City, but Blaze, now 9, would come with his dad every weekday to pick up his mom from work in Las Vegas. He noticed the homeless under overpasses, asking for money at intersections and living out of shopping carts.

His parents didn't know what to do at first, but Blaze kept bringing it up. They began to plan and settled on collecting blankets, father Don Trumble said. They told kids to bring blankets to his party.

"It's a big surprise for kids," mother Frannie Trumble said. "They didn't get it, had looks like, 'That's strange.'"

But giving has become a part of who Blaze is.

Even though the blanket drive has become a tradition, the family never assumes it will happen. They leave that up to Blaze, not wanting to force him.

"We wait for him to bring it up," Frannie Trumble said.

They collected nearly 300 blankets that first year, a number which has grown ever since. More than 700 blankets and jackets came in last year. Blaze's goal is 950 this year, he said.

And the work doesn't stop there. The family spends the day before Thanksgiving at the shelter handing them out.

"We get joy out of it," said Don, adding that they've learned the joy of giving from their son. That also goes for their 22-year-old son, Donnie, who makes certain he finds the best-fitting jacket for everyone at the shelter.

"Last year, we noticed many more families, kids," Frannie Trumble said.

Blaze's efforts keep growing. He now gives toys to the children. That started last year when a woman donated money. She told Blaze to spend half on blankets and keep the rest for himself. He bought Hot Wheels and stuffed animals, but not for himself.

For information about donating, go to www.blazeswish.com.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@review journal.com or 702-383-0279.