The Salt & Light SERVE Spotlight Presents Phillip’s Wish
Planting Seeds
When my husband and I first talked about homeschooling our only child, we began by looking closely at our values. Like many parents, one of the biggest deciding factors was the freedom to teach our child the tenets of our faith.
Beyond our home state’s requirement of a “course in good citizenship,” we felt in order to adequately teach character, our homeschool must also embody a servant’s heart. Stewardship is central not only to our Christian faith but also to good citizenship. As the entrusted keepers of all God’s Creation including His earth, His creatures, and most importantly His people, it is our duty to sow the seeds of stewardship for the next generation.
Long before we chose curriculum, joined co-ops, or signed up for extracurricular activities, we encouraged three things: gratitude, generosity, and empathy. We are voracious readers in our house so the first seeds we planted were through bedtime stories. Here are some of our favorites.
Watering the Garden
Next, we added action. We had our son help cull gently used toys, books, and clothing before donating them to our local Goodwill, Community Storehouse, or Salvation Army.
Then, we went a step further. As our kiddo grew older, we branched out with service projects outside of the home. Throughout the year, we contributed to canned food drives through our church, as part of his pre-K and Kindergarten classes, and independently as a family to a local food bank. One local food bank even allowed our son to stack the canned goods and boxes of cereal on their shelves!
Although never enrolled in public school, we saved box tops for our nearby elementary school. We adopted “angels in need” every holiday season, selecting a child’s name from the Angel Tree and purchasing presents and clothing.
As our son grew in age, so did our expectations for him. Although we had supported our local Little Gym’s annual sponsorship of Toys for Tots for years, come first grade we provided him with a set amount of money to spend and charged him with the responsibility of selecting items within his set price range, purchasing the items, and helping to deliver them to the collection site. It was a great way to sneak in a math lesson while also helping others.
By second grade, we went deeper. Scrolling through Facebook one day, I came across an urgent request for supplies from a local charity. Phillip’s Wish has provided food, clothing, and support to the homeless in the DFW Area for more than two decades. As a result of the spread of COVID in 2020 and the subsequent lockdown, coupled with an unexpected and disastrous winter storm in 2021, Phillip’s Wish was critically low on supplies for those who needed it most.
A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
With a supply wish list in hand, we shopped for items. When we delivered them, we met with Ms. Cyndi, one of the original founders of Phillip’s Wish. As busy as she was, she was gracious enough to take the time to sit with us and share her story and the history of how her organization came to be.
Born out of hardship and hope, Phillip’s Wish began over twenty years ago as the dream of Cyndi’s then seven-year-old son, Phillip Junior. Phillip Senior, Phillip’s father, struggled with mental illness and homelessness. A struggle that introduced their family to a whole new world. A world that broke their hearts.
After one seemingly unfruitful (and bitterly cold) evening searching with his mom for his father on the streets of Fort Worth, the duo were awestruck and humbled by how many people they saw battling homelessness. As Ms. Cyndi tucked her little boy into his warm bed later that night, Little Phillip wondered aloud if his father, who was somewhere out there among the many, was warm. He then wondered if all of the other people he had encountered were warm.
And then, his heart reached up to his head and a plan began to form. Sometimes kids’ dreams are bigger than they are, but that certainly does not mean they are too little to accomplish them.
Ms. Cyndi and Phillip Junior decided to collect blankets. Lots of them. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them! Their goal was to give one blanket to every homeless person they found.
In the first year, 200 blankets were collected. By year four, over 20,000 blankets were collected along with hats, scarves, gloves, sleeping bags, toiletries, and thousands of toys! Phillip’s Wish then expanded its efforts to include a food pantry.
But beyond the essentials, Ms. Cyndi provides hope. Her smile reaches her eyes. And with those eyes, you truly feel seen. She embodies unconditional love, a love she tirelessly gives freely to all who come in contact with her. Humble in spirit, she attributes all the credit for her organization’s success to the Lord.
Going Deeper
With great patience and kindness, Ms. Cyndi shared a few brief videos and photos of Philip’s Wish outreach efforts. Families with children our son’s age.
My son is not a “shy kid.” He is naturally chatty, open-hearted, and friendly. We routinely joke that he does not meet a stranger. But the day we met Ms. Cyndi, he was as quiet as a church mouse. He listened intently as she showed him images of families who had experienced loss and struggle that we could not fathom.
When it was time to go, Ms. Cyndi presented him personally with a handwritten thank you card addressed to him for his donation, a lost art endearing me further to her.
The knowledge my son gained from time spent with Ms. Cyndi that day, her kindness, her patience, her compassion, and her pure unconditional love for those she hasn’t even met yet was by far one of the greatest lessons I believe my son has had or will have in his lifetime.
As we drove away, I snuck a glance in the rear-view mirror at him sitting in the back seat, still quiet. I could see the wheels turning inside his brain but he asked me no questions. Maybe he didn’t need to.
Maybe this deeper experience was something he needed to process on his own. I will always be here when and if he wants to talk. As parents, my husband and I worked hard to establish trust in our family long ago. May our bond be strong enough that he always feels he can come to us with all things, big and small.
Since that first encounter, we have visited Ms. Cyndi once every few months. We keep up with her stewardship and ministry on social media. We spread the word of her good works hoping to further encourage support.
There are opportunities to serve at Phillip’s Wish throughout the year with ongoing canned food and supply drives, as well as other service and fundraising opportunities.
If you live in the Fort Worth area and are looking for volunteer opportunities, we hope you will consider reaching out to Ms. Cyndi. You can find her on Facebook or on her website.
May God Bless you, Ms. Cyndi! A woman with a true servant’s heart!
Want To Know More About Phillip’s Wish?
Join us as IOH Kid J and I interview Ms. Cyndi about her family’s passion project.
Ms. Cyndi’s story has also caught the eye of Hollywood. Check out her story in the film 5000 Blankets.
Want To Support Phillip’s Wish?
Phillip’s Wish is always in need of your support. Donate nonperishable items, socks, coats, blankets, sleeping bags, tents, and so much more. For a list of needs, visit its website www.phillipswish.com.
35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Acts 20:35
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Blessings,
Kimberly
IOH Mom
This website is not a professional counseling website and nothing here should be construed as professional counseling advice. Although Kimberly Bennett, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor, she is not your counselor, and no counselor-client relationship is established unless she has signed an agreement with you. All information provided through this website is for informational and educational purposes only. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure statement. Thanks for visiting!
Love your analogy of planting and watering seeds and the opportunities you found for helping in your community!
Your three values are fantastic! Gratitude, generosity, and empathy thanks for the ideas!
This is so great! Involving children in outreach and volunteer activities is so important!
What a wonderful way to plant the seeds of a good citizen. I love that you have been able to find organizations to help and work with to help your family and your son. As someone who has been on the receiving end of generosity (when we were taking care of my sick mom), it is wonderful how many avenues there are for helping others.
Beautiful story, and I love that verse you ended on. What great lessons you are teaching your son, being the hands and feet of Jesus as you homeschool! Thank you for sharing this!
What a wonderful way to teach your child stewardship. Thanks for the idea. When my kids were in school they always did collections for the food bank. Perhaps making sure we do some kind of service for others is important to include.
What wonderful suggestions of ways our kids can give back! But, what I loved most about this post was the dedication you have shown to teaching your only child to be grateful and giving. It’s so easy to spoil an only child and you are clearly doing a phenomenal job of raising him. Good for you!
Volunteering and helping others is so important!