Girl, 8, donates her doll with personal note to child affected by Harvey flooding
“I hope the doll is going to make her happy,” Lilly Bice told ABC News.
— -- When 8-year-old Lilly Bice of Diamondhead, Mississippi, heard families in Texas lost everything because of Harvey, she wanted to help.
Her parents, E.J. and Melissa Bice, had survived Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago and were discussing going to Houston to help the recovery efforts. She overheard their conversation and decided she was going to gather a pile of toys to donate to the children whose belongings had been destroyed in the floodwaters.
“We went through Katrina so we know the heartache and the loss of everything,” her dad, E.J. Bice, told ABC News. “We were discussing it and she just went to her room and started grabbing her own toys and putting them in a bag."
Among the pile of toys she was donating was one of her favorite dolls, along with a handwritten note that is pulling at heartstrings.
"Dear Little Girl, I hope you like my new doll and her things,” the adorable note read. “Take good care of her and have fun. She was a good friend to me and will be an incredible friend to you."
Lilly even included an adoption paper for the new recipient to fill out after they receive the doll.
“I left the name blank because I wanted the little girl to be able to name her,” she told ABC News.
His daughter’s kind gesture prompted E.J. Bice to head to Houston Friday with a group of friends to serve food to the first responders at NRG Stadium where the Houston Texans play. And he’s taking some precious cargo with him.
“The doll is coming with me,” he said of his daughter’s donation. “I’m kind of nervous. I don’t know who to give it to.”
Lilly’s mom, Melissa Bice, said even though her daughter wasn’t around to experience Hurricane Katrina, her daughter is an “old soul” who understands the suffering people in Texas are experiencing.
“She understands more than an 8 year old normally does,” said the proud mom. “She’s always been a giving child. She’s really into presents and making things for people to make them happy.”
Once E.J. Bice arrives in Houston, he’ll be on the hunt for a lucky little girl to receive his daughter’s beloved doll.
“I hope the doll is going to make her happy,” Lilly said. “She is one of my favorites.”