Twins with a Heart

Angels Among Us

by

When my daughter received an invitation over the summer to a birthday party, I thought, "Wow, these boys are so cool." Twin brothers, Ryan and Eric Kim invited every student in sixth grade from our elementary school to their thirteenth birthday party. When their parents agreed to the size, the boys expressed a wish not to receive any gifts. Their Mom, Susie Kim, remembers her sons saying, "We don't need gifts. We have everything we need. How can we help the community?"

Mom suggested they make some sort of a donation to the library or charitable organization. The twins liked the idea of giving new books to the local library. Once a month, they check out books and noticed that the youth book selection was slim. Together with their mom, they met with the children's and teen librarian and shared their "Angels Among Us" plan. The librarians produced a list of 125 books appropriate for ages 12 through 14. Some were selected from the list of 2007 Best Books for Young Adults, while others were selected from 500 Great Books for Teens by Anita Silvery.

At the party, kids brought their swimsuits and books. Some were wrapped, some were in bags, some guests brought one book, and others brought a bag full. After the party, the boys counted 123 books. The next day, 7 more were delivered to their front door. They created labels to insert into each donated book, stating, "On behalf of Eric and Ryan Kim, this book was donated by (donor's name)." Their Mom then drove the twins to the library to present the donated books, and the librarians were quite impressed with these young men. Since the twins are identical, I asked their Mom if their personality is different. Ryan was the first born, at 4 pounds, and the jokester in the family. He is very confidant and a high achiever. Eric born only three pounds is more of a perfectionist. They share their home with their younger brother, Matthew, who started 4th grade. Matthew wants to have the same type of party in sixth grade and donate additional books to the local library. For hobbies, both play the obo and golf. They started golf two years ago and competed in their first official junior golf tournament in October. Both have broke 100 playing 18 holes of golf. In Middle School, Ryan's favorite subject is Math, and Eric enjoys writing. When I asked Susie what's her secret to raising great boys, she stated, " Strong family values." She believes "if the mother and father provide a strong and healthy relationship for their children, the kids will feel more confident in who they are and secure in their environment." Both boys won the Terrific Kids award by the Kiwanis club in sixth grade, and at their elementary school graduation, the boys were voted among their peers as outstanding citizenship for academics and kindness to others. In addition, Ryan was voted most friendly and Eric was voted most positive attitude. With Thanksgiving approaching, think of a fun way you and your kids can give back to the community.

Want to salute an Angel in your community? Write to Jill at weinlein@familymagazinegroup.com.