"What is that man doing?" she exclaimed.
Her mom struggled to explain to her that some people in the world are poor, hungry and down on their luck. Hannah was surprised to learn that not everyone has a home, a bed and the love and support of a family.
For more than a year, Hannah was unable to forget the man that she saw. Her mom, Colleen, recalls her daughter's many questions:
"Where is that man?"
"Where is he eating?"
"Where is he sleeping?"
"Who loves him?"
In spite of her young age, Hannah could imagine exactly how it might feel to be a hungry man on the street. With the help of her parents, she researched as much as she could about homelessness. She enlisted the help of her school and community to raise funds and awareness on the issue. She also formed strong friendships with street people. By age eight, Hannah founded the Ladybug Foundation to advocate for the homeless, raising over $1 million for the cause.
Not all five-year-olds will begin campaigns to eradicate homelessness, but Hannah's story reminds us that parents provide the building blocks when they help their kids contemplate the plight of others.
Colleen says many people ask if they raised Hannah to be an activist. They say, No. However they did raise her to consider the feelings of others. Hannah simply took their lessons to heart.
But while Hannah is encouraging other young people to learn about homelessness, empathy is actually on the decline.
A recent study from the University of Michigan stated that today's college students are 40 per cent less empathetic than those of the 1980s and 1990s. The study examined the test results of American college students who had all taken the Davis Interpersonal Reactivity Index, which looks at empathic concern, emotional responses to the distress of others, and the ability to imagine another person's perspective.
Page 1 of 2 – Find three tips to teaching your child empathy on page 2.
