Many eight-year-olds enjoy technology. In fact, some parents might argue that they enjoy it too much. Teddy Tendler, of Yardley, is no exception. She has many interests and hobbies, which are similar to her peers. She enjoys gaming, playing outside and of course, fundraising for technological equipment, and donating it to her local homeless shelter. While running a social media campaign that brought Family Service Homeless Shelter residents six laptops, six sets of headphones, a printer, paper and ink, sounds like a tremendous undertaking for a young child, anybody who meets Teddy understands the reason for her success within the first minute.
“I chose this project because I love technology and I love helping others, it just makes my heart warm,” said Teddy. “I wanted kids who didn’t have computers, to be able to play the same online educational games that I get to at school.” She launched her Facebook campaign during the last week of April, as a service project for her Hebrew School, and recently, Teddy, along with her parents, Jared and Corey, presented the items of her success to grateful Shelter staff members at the Levittown facility.
Julie Dees, Chief Executive Officer of Family Service, is overwhelmed with the generosity and diligence of Tendler. “It takes a lot of work and dedication for an adult to run a successful fundraising campaign,” said Dees. “The fact that Teddy was able to do such a beautiful thing for our Shelter residents, completely on her own initiative, speaks volumes about her, as well as her amazing family.” She continued “At the Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter, we strive to make the experience for our residents as pleasant as possible during their stay. A large part of this is providing some comforts of home, like technology. This is especially important to the children, who often rely on computers for everything from education to de-stressing. We are truly grateful to Teddy for providing them with these wonderful and empowering gifts.”
Family Service Association of Bucks County is a non-profit social service organization with locations throughout Bucks County. It is the mission of Family Service to listen, care and help. Every day. Since 1953, Family Service has been improving the lives of individuals, children and families, doing whatever it takes to help them overcome obstacles and reach their full potential. Visit www.fsabc.org to donate, volunteer or learn more about how Family Service helped nearly 40,000 children, teens and adults last year.
PHOTO CAP: Pictured are Teddy Tendler (front), and from left to right Stephen Burns, Family Service Director of Development, Corey Tendler, Jared Tendler, Delilah Merritt, Shelter Resident Life Associate Lead, Murielle Kelly, Family Service Director of Housing Services, Latajia Cox, Shelter Case Manager and Marcus Brown, Shelter Operations Manager.