- We have an audience full of Gen Zers.
They're a very impressive group
but they have another motivated generation hot
on their heels, y'all.
My next guest is part of Gen Alpha.
At seven years old, Addie was born
at just 29 weeks and spent two months in the NICU.
Her mom spent every day in the hospital,
reading to her which provided a real sense of normalcy.
Now to help other families who are spending weeks
or months in the NICU, Addie's collected hundreds
of books to donate to the hospital where she was born.
Which is super sweet.
Let's dial up Addie and her mom, Kate right now.
- Hey, what's up y'all, how you doin'?
- Hi there.
- Hi, oh my gosh you're so cute.
and I'm jealous, your bear is so cool.
Well, Kate, I'll start with you.
Take us back to when Addie was born.
The NICU, that must have been overwhelming.
- The NICU was a very scary experience at 29 weeks.
Addie had to be removed from my belly
in order for both of us to have a chance to survive.
She was just two pounds, 10 ounces.
And the world of the NICU,
I think is something you can't quite grasp
until you're actually immersed in it.
But I read to her out loud every day while we were there.
And it was the only thing that brought some normalcy
to our day and allowed me to kinda tune out
all the unknowns that we were surrounded by.
- 'Cause the unknowns, I can't even imagine.
The kind of just state of your heart in that situation.
So I mean, Kate, tell us about the book initiative
that you have.
- Well, when Addie graduated from the NICU
we knew that we wanted to give back in some way
and books were the logical choice.
So every year over her birthday,
we raise money to be able to buy books
to deliver to the NICU as a family.
And last week she turned seven
and we have 288 books to deliver.
And it's really cool because the families get
to keep them and then read them forever.
- Oh my, that's a beautiful thing you're doing.
So Addie, you also though, you have one book
you especially like to buy for the babies, right?
Do you have a favorite?
- Tell her again.
- "Cuddle Bear."
- Oh, "Cuddle Bear" I see it right behind you.
It's on your shelf right there.
So "Cuddle Bear" is your favorite.
So I mean, I just have a question for you Addie,
like what's it like when you drop off the books?
What do you feel?
- Make me feel happy.
- It makes you feel happy and why?
- 'Cause we're making other people feel happy.
- [Kate] Yeah.
- So interesting Addie is that you kept it very simple
and that's actually perfect because happiness
is a very simple thing to say
but not always easy to achieve or feel.
So the fact that you're doing that for others
is really beautiful.
You're already making waves at seven-years-old.
We're all very proud of you.
- It's pretty special.
And when we drop the books off, we get to take pictures
with the nurses that were there when she was there
and they put the "Cuddle Bear" books
next to the baby's bedsides.
And there is a note and poem in there from Addie and I,
and they get to keep the books.
And we've actually heard from a couple of the families.
And they said that this book is their favorite
and that it really helped them get through the dark time.
- Oh my gosh, what a beautiful thing
to turn something that is very hard
on your heart and help other people's hearts
you know, in the same situation that you were in.
That's a, you're a wonderful family.
I do have something exciting to share.
This month Scholastic is celebrating
their hundredth anniversary.
I mean I'm a teacher's kid, so I love Scholastic.
This magazine, I always wondered all those books.
They know just how important it is
for all children to have access to great books.
So to mark this incredible milestone,
they're donating 5,000 books
to the Good Samaritan Hospital of Cincinnati, Ohio
in honor of Addie.
(cheering and applauding)
- [Kate] Thank you.
- That's what you did.