She doesn’t know exactly why, but Alyssa Litvaitis is drawn to helping people.
I feel really happy and just feel so fortunate that I get to do these things all the time, said Litvaitis.
She’s only 10, but the 4th-grader from Ballston Lake is constantly finding ways and reasons to give back.
First, she chopped off her long hair for Locks of Love when she was just 8 years old.
`My friend has alopecia and loses her hair and I’m going to be donating it again [to Pantene Beautiful Lengths] because I’m really sorry for my friend,` said Litvaitis.
When school lets out in June, she’ll say goodbye to 10 inches of hair and give it to an organization that makes wigs.
`I have to do it in the summer after I do my dance school because I have to be able to put my hair up in a bun,` said Litvaitis.
In the meantime, she needed to find another way to satisfy the giving bug. So, when she threw herself a birthday party in the beginning of April, she asked all her friends to forgo presents for her and instead bring items to be donated to the Saratoga County Animal Shelter.
`I love animals and my mom brought up the animal shelter and I said ,’That’s a great idea!’ I just really love animals and I’m really fortunate that I have all the toys I have, so I don’t need any more,` said Litvaitis. `I got the animals toys and stuff.`
Her friends were a little confused at first, she said, because they didn’t understand why she was making the one day that was all about her, all about the animals. Soon, though, they got into the spirit.
`They said ‘Wow, that’s a really great idea’ and one of the mothers said that her daughter wants to do it too for her birthday,` said Litvaitis. `They brought dog food, really big bags, cat food, dog toys, cat toys, all the treats for them, $100 and soft towels.`
She loaded the animals’ birthday booty into a pick-up truck and recently delivered it to the shelter.
`It made me feel really happy for the animals and that I was going to bring stuff for them. All the people there and the lady at the desk said ‘Wow, this is a lot of stuff’ and the helpers said’ Oh my God, the dogs will be so happy,’` said Litvaitis.
As a thank you, Litvaitis got to meet the animals and visit with two 10-month-old kittens, perhaps the best birthday present she could have gotten since she can’t have pets of her own.
`Dogs are my favorite animal but I can’t have one because my Dad’s allergic,` said Litvaitis.
She knows she’s still young, but Litvaitis is sure that helping animals and people in need is in her future.
`I want to do more stuff with the animal shelter, volunteering. I just see these things on TV with the animals and people who are poor and don’t have anything. Especially when you hear about devastating things on TV like tornadoes that go through places and I feel really bad about it and that’s what gives me the idea to do it,` said Litvaitis.
Sometimes, she finds herself helping out without even meaning to.
`I go to parties or festivals or events at school and their parents aren’t allowed to go to such places with them, so I watch them and keep them entertained,` said Litvaitis, who wants to be a babysitter when she’s old enough.
Georgann Litvaitis said she doesn’t know how her daughter became so caring and eager to help others, but it amazes her.
`I’m so proud of her. She’s an only child and she loves children and of course animals. I always tell everybody I have to have a pocket full of change around Christmas time for the Salvation Army because she won’t let me pass without giving money,` said Georgann Litvaitis. `She always gives of hers. She gives whatever she has.`
Television commercials and the news play a big part in stirring her daughter’s urge to help.
`She sees the orphanages and the pets that are abused and stuff. Once she sees TV or the jars at the store, she’s just aware,` said Georgann Litvaitis. `As young as I can remember she’s picked it up on her own and we just nurtured it.`
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