By The Haitian Times
Orion Jean, an 11 year-old Haitian American boy from Fort Worth, Texas, was named Time Magazine’s “Kid of the Year for 2021” to recognize his humanitarian efforts.
Time made the announcement on the “Kid of the Year TV Special aired Feb. 9 on Nickelodeon, according to Forth Worth Star-Telegram. The magazine said Jean’s humanitarian works include “collecting and donating meals to food insecure families across the country, or getting 500,000 books to kids with none at home.”
In a subsequent Time interview with actor and humanitarian worker Angelina Jolie, the boy said he was inspired to participate in a “Race to Kindness” initiative to help collect and deliver food to people after the pandemic struck and he saw a lot of people in need.
Jean said: “Kindness is a choice and while we can’t force others to be kind, we can be kind ourselves and hope to inspire other people. So many people have great ideas, but never act on them… And I want others to know that they can start today. If there’s an issue or problem or something that they see that they want to solve, all it takes is really just knowing deep down inside that it’s something you care about, and you can go out and get started.”
