Volunteerism a way of life for Indian Land siblings

In the hustle and bustle of today’s busy world, two Indian Land children are learning early in life to take the time to help others.

Meet Lucy and Scott Hansen, two local kids who have been volunteering since they were toddlers. Lucy, who recently turned 7 and her brother, Scott, 9, have been raising money and food in their BridgeMill community for a multitude of causes.

Last winter, they ran a “Cans for Cocoa” campaign in their neighborhood and donated all of the proceeds to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Charlotte. Over the summer, the kids designed and ran a “Lemonade for Life” booth to raise money for Relay for Life in Charlotte’s Ballantyne suburb to support their father, Matt, who is a cancer survivor.

Recently, Lucy and Scott held their second “Cans for Cocoa” campaign and donated over 150 cans and $70 to the Fort Mill Care Center. Besides helping others, Lucy said she enjoyed drinking the cocoa, too, and Scott said he liked being able to design and make his own sign. They agreed that they would like to see more of their friends getting involved to help others.

Their inspiration is their mom, Kate Hansen, who has been volunteering since she was in high school.

“I have been fortunate enough in life to have never truly been in need and I consider that a huge blessing,” she said.

Kate Hansen has taken her kids to help at the Ronald McDonald House in Charlotte, where families, typically from out of town, can find some comfort while a child or sibling with a serious illness is treated at a nearby hospital. The Hansen children served on the Cookie Crew that bakes fresh cookies and serves them to Ronald McDonald House guests.

Scott, picked as a child group leader, also spent some time teaching other kids the paper-folding art known as origami.

“The more of the world you see, the more you reflect on how lucky you truly are and how important it is to help others if you are able,” Kate Hansen said.

“I want my children to recognize how blessed they are and to instill in them that it is their responsibility to bless others, throughout their lives.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Volunteerism a way of life for Indian Land siblings."