FISHERS, Ind. -- At 12 years old, Olivia Keith is wise beyond her years – and doing things most adults will never attempt.
The Fishers 7th grader runs two non-profits designed to help other kids. Because of that, RTV6 is proud to honor her with the Jefferson Award for community service.
Keith says her parents inspired her start into charity.
"I started Play It Safe because both my parents have brain injuries, and I thought, 'I don't want kids to get a brain injury,'" Keith said.
Her mom, Darcy, lived through a horrific car crash. Her father Chris survived two strokes. So, Keith knows the importance of having a fully functioning brain, and that's why she started handing out bike helmets to underprivileged kids. With a little help, she's distributed 750 of them.
Eighty five of the helmets were purchased by Honda of Fishers and handed out at the dealership's annual community day.
As you might expect, Keith's parents are proud as can be.
"It's fun to watch her as she's developed from a girl in first grade who had these ideas in her head, to going out and giving a presentation to United Way saying, this is how the money is going to be spent, this is where I get the helmets," Chris Keith said.
"It's really exciting, and it's neat from a parent's standpoint to watch her, and jus the excitement, because she's real, and I think that's how the kids connect with her, because she's real and she really wants to help them," said Darcy Keith.
Keith recently received more than $3,000 in grant money from the United Way. That's good, because her second non-profit, called "Don't Waist Your Belt," is well underway. Keith has collected nearly 2,000 belts after finding out IPS students were facing uniform suspensions because they didn't have belts to wear. She's aiming to collect 3,000 more this year.
Keith said she gets satisfaction simply from seeing evidence of her hard work.
"Sometimes I see people with these helmets riding around and I'm like, 'I did that!" she said.
If you know someone you think is deserving of a Jefferson Award, find out how to nominate them here.
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