by Cori Hilsgen
news@thenewsleaders.com
Ten-year-old Mykayla Bluhm-Slater has a very generous and giving spirit, and she appreciates and is thankful for what she has.
That is perhaps why the Pleasantview Elementary fifth-grader has decided to help share the holiday of Thanksgiving with others.
She is hoping to collect enough “Turkey Stamps” and donations to provide an entire Thanksgiving meal for three or four families who are struggling to find the means to do it themselves. “Turkey Stamps” are given to shoppers of Coborn’s stores based on how much they spend at the stores. A completed “Turkey Stamp” card entitles the bearer to one Thanksgiving turkey.
This is not the first time Bluhm-Slater has wanted to help other families enjoy the holiday. When she was 8 years old, she realized she wanted to help other people who might not have the funds to provide their own dinners and was able to raise enough Turkey Stamps to get turkeys, along with enough money to help make full holiday meals for two families.
She provided two 18-pound turkeys and enough money for all the dinner trimmings, including potatoes, stuffing, gravy, vegetables, dinner rolls, butter, milk, pumpkin pie and whipped topping. She also purchased table cloths, turkey basters and foil pans, as well as a $25 gift card to Coborn’s for each family to shop for anything else they wanted.
A mentor from the Starfish Program, a mentoring program for women, helped the Bluhm-Slaters choose a family who needed help. They also reached out to their church and were able to find another family in need.
In 2014, Bluhm-Slater’s goal was to raise $75; she succeeded in raising $125. This year, her goal is to try to raise $300.
“Mykayla has a heart of gold,” said her mother, Stephanie Bluhm. “She is a genuine kid and she cares a lot about others. She will do the right thing even when others aren’t.”
Bluhm-Slater already has one family in mind she would like to help this year and is looking for others.
“I like the feeling I get from helping people,” she said.
Besides helping at the Thanksgiving holiday, Bluhm-Slater also made Easter baskets for children last year at Anna Marie’s Alliance, which provides help for people dealing with domestic abuse.
Some of Bluhm-Slater’s other interests include baking, cooking, reading, fishing, hanging out with friends, the ministry team at church, watching movies and playing on her iPod.
“Mykayla is a bright girl and her laugh is contagious,” Stephanie said. “I am beyond blessed and thankful to be her mom. I could not be more proud of her. She loves her family and loves her puppies.”
The puppies aren’t really puppies. They include Queenie, a 7-year-old Shiatsu miniature-and-Pincher mix; Ellie, a 5-year-old chocolate Lab; and Missy, a 2-year-old chihuahua.
To donate, or for more information, visit her GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/mykaylas-thanksgiving-back-20-2wwd6wd8. Turkey Stamps can be mailed to 115 – 15th St. Court, #207, Sauk Rapids, Minn. 56379.
Stephanie Bluhm and her daughter Mykayla Bluhm-Slater (right) show the items Mykayla was able to provide for two families in 2014. Mykayla is again trying to collect enough turkey stamps and raise enough donations to provide for three or four families for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
