AND
AND BUSTLE OF THE SEASON, IT'S EASY TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE
COMMERCIALISM AND
LOSE SIGHT OF THE TRUE
MEANING OF THE
HOLIDAYS.
BUT TWO NAMPA MOMS
AND THEIR HUSBANDS
HAVE CREATED
SOMETHING FUN TO HELP
YOU REMEMBER THE
REASON FOR THE SEASON.
MEET RANDY THE
REINDEER. A CUTE, LITTLE
REINDEER ASHLIE VAN
VOROUS AND RACHEL
BARTLETTE HOPE WILL
MAKE A BIG IMPACT ON
THE WORLD.
THE WORLD.
"WE
"WE WANTED SOMETHING THAT OUR KIDS COULD FOCUS ON BEING KIND
AND THINKING OF
OTHERS INSTEAD OF
THEMSELVES," ASHLIE VAN
VOROUS SAID.
EACH DAY LEADING UP TO
CHRISTMAS, KIDS WILL
FIND RANDY THE
REINDEER HOLDING A
NEW CARD IN HIS ARMS,
AN ACT OF KINDNESS
CHALLENGE FOR THE DAY.
"THE CHALLENGE CAN BE
AS SIMPLE AS HOLDING A
DOOR FOR SOMEBODY OR
GIVING SOMEONE A
COMPLIMENT," RACHEL
BARTLETTE SAID.
OTHER CHALLENGES
INCLUDE SENDING A
LETTER TO SOLDIERS
OVERSEAS ....
VOLUNTEERING FOR A
LOCAL ORGANIZATION ...
TAKING TREATS TO LOCAL
FIRST RESPONDERS.
"MY FAVORITE PART IS
WHEN THEY COME BACK
AND SAY MOM YOU
SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE
SMILE ON THEIR FACE.
JUST THAT THEY'RE
NOTICING HOW THEY'RE
CHANGING SOMEONE
ELSE'S DAY AND ALSO
HOW IT'S CHANGING
THEIR DAY," ASHLIE SAID.
ASHLIE FIRST CAME UP
WITH THE IDEA FIVE YEARS
AGO. SHE AND HER
HUSBAND
HUSBAND WERE TRYING TO THINK OF SOMETHING NEW THEY COULD DO
WITH THEIR KIDS DURING
THE HOLIDAYS...
SOMETHING TO REMIND
THEM OF WHAT THE
SEASON IS REALLY ABOUT.
"I WANT MY KIDS TO BE
GOOD HUMANS JUST TO
BE GOOD HUMANS NOT
BECAUSE THEY WANT TO
GET A PRESENT ON
CHRISTMAS DAY," ASHLIE
SAID.
SHE FOUND A REINDEER
AT A DOLLAR STORE AND
BEGAN TO LEAVE IT EACH
DAY FOR HER KIDS ALONG
WITH A HANDWRITTEN
NOTE, A CHALLENGE FOR
THEM TO PERFORM AN
ACT OF KINDNESS.
"IT WAS ME JUST LIKE I
NEED SOMETHING THAT I
CAN USE THAT WILL BE
ABLE TO SPREAD THIS
MESSAGE TO MY KIDS. SO I
USED TO WRITE THESE
HAND NOTES FROM
RANDY," ASHLIE SAID.
THAT LITTLE DOLLAR
STORE REINDEER BECAME
A TRADITION WITH
ASHLIE'S
ASHLIE'S FAMILY.. HER KIDS AFFECTIONATELY NAMING HIM RANDY.
SHE NEVER INTENDED TO
MAKE A BUSINESS OUT OF
IT.
BUT THEN LAST YEAR,
ASHLIE'S FACEBOOK POSTS
ABOUT RANDY THE
REINDEER CAUGHT THE
ATTENTION OF RACHEL'S
HUSBAND WHO WORKS
WITH ASHLIE'S HUSBAND.
"AND MY HUSBAND WAS
LIKE TALKING TO HER
HUSBAND LIKE THIS IS A
GREAT IDEA. WHY
HAVEN'T YOU GUYS ACTED
ON THIS AND LIKE MADE
THIS A THING TO SPREAD
AROUND THE WORLD? AT
FIRST WE WERE LIKE THIS IS
A JOKE, WE WERE
LAUGHING. AND THEN IT
CAUGHT ON AND WE
WERE LIKE WHY DON'T WE
DO THIS," RACHEL
BARTLETTE SAID.
AND SO THEY DID. THE
FOUR OF THEM SPENT ALL
SUMMER WORKING ON
THEIR
THEIR BUSINESS PLAN.. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THEIR NEW RANDY
THE REINDEER WOULD
LOOK LIKE.
"WE DESIGNED HIM. SHE
DREW HIM. SO WE SENT IN
HER DRAWING AND THEY
MADE A STUFFED TOY
FROM HER DRAWING. SO
THIS WAS MONTHS OF US
AND OUR HUSBANDS TOO
OF NO, HIS NOSE NEEDS
TO BE BIGGER. HE NEEDS
DIFFERENT ANTLERS. HIS
EYES NEED TO BE BIGGER.
IT WAS LIKE FOUR
PEOPLE'S OPINIONS OF
WHAT A REINDEER
NEEDED TO LOOK LIKE,"
ASHLIE AND RACHEL SAID.
THEIR FIRST SHIPMENTS
OF RANDY THE REINDEER
CAME IN JUST THREE
WEEKS AGO. RIGHT NOW,
ASHLIE'S DINING ROOM
TABLE SERVES AS THEIR
WAREHOUSE AND
DISTRIBUTION CENTER.
"IT'S REALLY EXCITING TO
HAVE THEM COME TO LIFE
AND IN OUR HANDS,"
RACHEL SAID.
THE BUZZ OVER RANDY
THE REINDEER IS
GROWING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA. JUST RECENTLY
HE'S BEEN SHIPPED TO
FAMILIES IN NORTH
CAROLINA AND
PENNSYLVANIA.
"YOU BEING KIND
CHANGES NOT ONLY
THEIR DAY BUT YOUR
OWN DAY AND YOUR
OWN ATTITUDE," ASHLIE
SAID.
THE KINDNESS STARTED
HERE IN NAMPA, RIPPLING
INTO SOMETHING BIG.
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"AND I THINK THAT'S
ANOTHER GOAL OF OURS
IS TO JUST MAKE KIDS AND
HUMANS ALIKE AWARE OF
PEOPLE AND THEIR
SURROUNDINGS AND
HOW A LITTLE GESTURE,
EVEN A SMILE CAN
CHANGE SOMEBODY'S
DAY," RACHEL SAID.
WE'VE GOT A LINK TO
RANDY THE REINDEER'S
WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK
PAGE IN THIS STORY
ONLINE AT KTVB.COM.
HI WILL/JAY!
HI WILL/JAY!