+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
upworthy
Heroes

After a 13-year-old qualified for Make-A-Wish, he used the opportunity to feed the homeless

13 yr old feeds the homeless, 13 year old make a wish feeds homeless
Facebook

Abraham Olagbegi gets a wish and uses it to help the homeless.

Usually when we think of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, we picture kids getting to meet Batman, or going to Disneyland, even having a (well-deserved) shopping spree.

This generous young boy used his wish to help others.

Thirteen-year-old Abraham Olagbegi, who was born with a rare blood disorder requiring a bone marrow transplant, could have asked for anything from the nonprofit organization. Much to everyone's surprise, Abraham wished for a way to feed the homeless in his neighborhood.

Abraham's mother, Miriam Olagbegi, was a bit shocked at the suggestion. She asked her son, "you sure you don't want a PlayStation?" But Abraham was resolute.

Miriam told CBS News that Abraham shared this unconventional idea coming home from one of his doctor's appointments. Their family used to feed the homeless every month before Abraham's diagnosis. And apparently that monthly outing had a profound effect.

"My mom always says it's a blessing to be a blessing so I just wanted to do something for other people to make it last long," Abraham would later tell interviewers. I can't imagine how satisfying it must have been for Abraham's parents, who actively taught the value of giving, to experience firsthand how their lessons helped create such a generous human being.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation was also floored that the "remarkable young man" would use his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give back. Linda Sermons of Make a Wish Mississippi told WLBT that it was the chapter's "first philanthropic wish in 20+ years," and a "huge milestone."

True to their mission, the organization fulfilled Abraham's wish. By September, with food and supplies donated from churches and local businesses, Abraham was able to help feed about 80 people in one day.

"When the homeless people get the plate, some of them would come back and sing to us and thank us," Abraham told CBS. "And it just really feels good." Abraham's mom proudly added "We're just very excited to be able to continue on this endeavor. It's just so rewarding. If I was out there on the streets, homeless, I would want somebody at some point to think of me and to do something special for me. So, that's what I try to instill in my kids and we just try to pay it forward, by doing what we were raised to do."

These feel-good moments will continue once a month until August of 2022. And even after that, Abraham plans to create his own nonprofit called "Abraham's Table."


Abraham didn't totally miss out on fun gadgets, by the way. Make-A-Wish also donated a new laptop, ring light and microphone so that he could start a YouTube channel to inspire others. I'd say he's off to a great start.

From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
13 year old make a wish feeds homeless
Community

Facebook group brings people together IRL to make meaningful friendships

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep ReadingShow less
friendship
Education

3,700-year-old Babylonian stone tablet gets translated, changes history

They were doing trigonometry 1500 years before the Greeks.

via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

Keep ReadingShow less
education
Family

Mom’s blistering rant on how men are responsible for all unwanted pregnancies is on the nose

“ALL unwanted pregnancies are caused by the irresponsible ejaculations of men. Period. Don't believe me? Let me walk you through it."

Gabrielle Blair/Twitter

Mom has something to say... strongly say.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are a conservative group who aren't known for being vocal about sex.

But best selling author, blogger, and mother of six, Gabrielle Blair, has kicked that stereotype to the curb with a pointed thread on reducing unwanted pregnancies. And her sights are set directly at men.

Keep ReadingShow less
women
Family

Dad takes 7-week paternity leave after his second child is born and is stunned by the results

"These past seven weeks really opened up my eyes on how the household has actually ran, and 110% of that is because of my wife."

@ustheremingtons/TikTok

There's a lot to be gleaned from this.

Participating in paternity leave offers fathers so much more than an opportunity to bond with their new kids. It also allows them to help around the house and take on domestic responsibilities that many new mothers have to face alone…while also tending to a newborn.

All in all, it enables couples to handle the daunting new chapter as a team, making it less stressful on both parties. Or at least equally stressful on both parties. Democracy!

TikTok creator and dad Caleb Remington, from the popular account @ustheremingtons, confesses that for baby number one, he wasn’t able to take a “single day of paternity leave.”

This time around, for baby number two, Remington had the privilege of taking seven weeks off (to be clear—his employer offered four weeks, and he used an additional three weeks of PTO).

The time off changed Remington’s entire outlook on parenting, and his insights are something all parents could probably use.

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting
Science

She tattooed half her face and you'd never know it. Her skills are just that good.

This incredible medical tattoo technology is giving renewed hope to burn victims.

All images via the CBS/YouTube

Basma Hameed runs a tattoo shop, of sorts...


Meet Samira Omar.

The 17-year-old was the victim of a horrific bullying incident.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

8 changes that were made to a classic Richard Scarry book to keep up with the times. Progress!

All the misogyny and racism you may not have noticed are now gone.

Images via Alan Taylor/Flickr, used with permission.

Updating the kitchen.


Remember those beloved Richard Scarry books?

Books from when you were a kid?

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

Voice recordings of people who were enslaved offer incredible first-person accounts of U.S. history

"The results of these digitally enhanced recordings are arresting, almost unbelievable. The idea of hearing the voices of actual slaves from the plantations of the Old South is as powerful—as startling, really—as if you could hear Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee speak." - Ted Koppel

Library of Congress

When we think about the era of American slavery, many of us tend to think of it as the far distant past. While slavery doesn't exist as a formal institution today, there are people living who knew formerly enslaved black Americans first-hand. In the wide arc of history, the legal enslavement of people on U.S. soil is a recent occurrence—so recent, in fact, that we have voice recordings of interviews with people who lived it.

Keep ReadingShow less
history
Trending Stories