September 2021 Snapshot

When Life Hands You Lemons

Do not go where the path may lead.  Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

In Morris County New Jersey, one girl has seen a need to be grateful, and has left a trail of happiness and thankfulness waving in the wind everywhere she goes. 

Just before the world came to a screeching halt in March 2020, Callie Danysh was your typical American 10-year-old.  She likes to play tennis and Roblox and adores her time in nature as a Scout with the Boy Scouts of America.  It was her involvement as a Scout that gave birth to her Flags of Gratitude movement. 

Covid and the Birth of an Idea

In March 2020, her Den Leader tasked Callie with picking an elective service project.  From the list of service project themes, Callie chose “Build My Own Hero” and began brainstorming ways to honor a local hero.  As the tidal wave of Covid descended upon the world, Callie couldn’t choose just one hero to honor.  There were so many people stepping up to help others, and Callie wanted to honor them all. 

While many neighbors and friends decided to “Chalk the Walk” writing messages on sidewalks in front of businesses, hospitals, and their own homes, Callie wanted to create a tangible message of gratitude that wouldn’t be washed away by a rainstorm.  As she was walking her new puppy Nika, Callie noticed flags on neighbor’s lawns marking gas lines and thought that flags were a great way to show support to front line workers and first responders and would last more than chalk on a sidewalk.  Callie purchased white marker flags, measuring no more than 4 inches wide and began drawing. 

Day in and day out, Callie would draw a picture on the flag, often accompanying a positive message of love and gratitude.   She even got her Scout friends to help.  Soon, they had amassed over 600 flags and placed them at various outposts, spreading love and kindness to all that beheld them.  She started with the hospitals and expanded to various police departments and the EMS in and around her neighborhood.  By this time, Callie’s service project with the Scouts was over, but her mission had just begun. 

An Awakening

Callie watched the news and saw how restaurants and local businesses were struggling and people were hungry.  Chef Fredy’s Table, a Morristown restaurant put out the call to try and help feed local struggling families.  Some people needed to receive kindness and others wanted to give kindness, and Callie and her flags became the currency.  Callie began receiving requests for custom flags through a project called Adopt A Hero.  Callie created 8 custom flags for $30 for someone to gift to their personal hero.  She raised $1,000 and donated the money to Verrilli’s Bakery, who in turn worked with Chef Fredy’s Table and HelpMorrisNow to feed the Morristown community during the state shutdown.   

The fire in Callie’s generous heart was further stoked and she realized that not only could she show her gratitude for others and spread kindness, but she could also raise money for charities.  Callie decided to focus on organizations helping children and animals, both causes that are close to her heart. 

While the flags lasted longer than chalked sidewalks, they were still susceptible to damage from the elements, and after a few months Callie realized she needed to come up with an additional way to memorialize her gratitude.  

Callie’s mother Andrea had been taking photos of Callie’s flags since she started and took some of the images from earlier flags and framed them using Mixtiles.  Mixtiles is an Israeli company that makes 8×8 frames that adhere to any wall surface and can be moved repeatedly.  Callie sells the Mixtiles for $25 each (including shipping) on her website.  She will even create custom flags to be placed in the Mixtile for $30 (including shipping).  100% of the profits go to charity. 

In fact, the Danysh family oftentimes doesn’t get reimbursed for their operating costs.  They have spent thousands of dollars of their own money keeping Flags of Gratitude moving forward.  Moreover, Andrea estimates that Callie donates 3-4 Mixtiles for every one sold.  If Callie sees a police officer, fire fighter, nurse, or other front-line hero at an event she is working, she is quick to gift a Mixtile “on the house” to say thank you and show her gratitude.

After HelpMorrisNow, Callie raised and donated $2,500 to Good Grief, a children’s charity in Morristown which helps children and families heal after the loss of a loved one.  Their mission statement is that no child must grieve alone.  After these humanitarian causes, Callie turned to helping animals.  This summer, Callie raised and donated $2,500 to St. Hubert’s Animal Shelter in Madison, New Jersey.  St. Hubert’s Animal Shelter is dedicated to helping any animal in need, regardless of species, size, or temperament.  At a street fair in Morristown last month, Callie met the founder of a local Pitbull rescue group, Jersey Pits Rescue, and discovered her next charity.

An Inner Discovery

Callie is now 11 years old and entering 6^th grade.  In speaking to her, you are struck by both her kindness and her shyness.  The irony is that Callie’s art has a lot to say.  It is bold and beautiful, whereas Callie has trouble talking about herself.  She finds her voice in her art.  When Callie talks about her mission and her artwork, her voice no longer falters.  She tells me about Rose, a recurring character in her hero flags. Callie doesn’t know from where the inspiration for the character came.  She loves the flower, and one day Rose just showed up.  In every grouping of flags placed at a hospital, business, or police station, one flag features Rose.  Callie reminds me of Rose, delicate and sweet, with many beautiful layers that build on each other.

A Mother’s Pride

Andrea is a loving mother who works tirelessly to support Callie’s mission.  She is a teacher herself, pushed to the edge during the Pandemic, who still found a way to support her daughter and help Callie realize her ambitions.  Andrea manages Callie’s social media accounts, created her website, buys the supplies, and helps Callie ship her orders.  When speaking about her daughter, you hear the love and admiration in Andrea’s voice.  She proudly tells me about The Peck School honoring Callie this Spring with the 2021 Community Service Award at the Robin Ross Ceremony.  Callie is the youngest recipient of this honor.  Introverted Callie spoke in front of parents, teachers, and rising 4^th graders about Flags of Gratitude.  You not only see Andrea’s smile when speaking about Callie, you hear it.  Andrea has provided the sunshine and the rain and now is watching her daughter blossom. 

Where Flags of Gratitude Will Go from Here

Flags of Gratitude started as a small service project and has become a movement.  Callie doesn’t want to stop.  She wants to continue spreading kindness and cheer and thanking those who are in service to others.  Callie wants to comfort those who are grieving the loss of a pet and has created beautiful custom artwork.  She wants to lift people up, especially those who have had a hard time dealing with the stresses of the Pandemic.   Callie simply wants to be the spark for someone to realize they are loved, they are appreciated, and they are not forgotten.

Callie began spreading love in her neighborhood, then in neighboring towns, and now in Morris County.  Flags of Gratitude is also beginning to spread its reach.  A lead supervisor of the NYC DEP Bureau of Water and Sewer was retiring and wanted to show his appreciation to his co-workers.  He commissioned Callie to create custom artwork that he presented to his co-workers.  A Dallas police officer’s wife learned of Callie’s flags and commissioned custom artwork to honor her husband. Slow and steady, custom orders are being placed by people all over the country.  Callie hopes this is just the beginning, and her movement will have momentum to further cross state lines and reach all corners of the United States.

I met Callie last month at a music and arts fair.  She was quiet until she started talking about her art.  She saw a police officer and politely excused herself to gift him a Mixtile dedicated to the police.  When she returned, she showed her mom a heart shaped rock she found on her way back.  Andrea explained that Callie loves to find heart shaped rocks wherever she goes.  I found this intriguing.  How many heart-shaped rocks can one person find in her lifetime?  I don’t think I ever found one.  Then again, I never took the time to look.  But there Callie was, holding up her rock, which was clearly shaped as a heart. 

What started as a Scout service project took on new meaning and significance when the Pandemic began.  Callie had a hero in mind when she chose her service project.  But the Pandemic highlighted the score of service-minded men and women who tirelessly take care of the rest of us.  Callie wanted to take a moment to let our caregivers know that someone saw their quiet devotion and were grateful for it. 

Callie’s hobby of finding heart shaped stones, made me recall skimming a pebble on a pond.  Skimming the water with her heart shaped rock, Callie touches so many lives and creates ripples of love that will be felt for a long time to come. 

Please support Callie and her Flags of Gratitude movement.  Her artwork can be found on her website, which also accepts pure donations.  Reach out if you would like custom artwork.

Xoxoxo,

Callie’s website is: https://www.flagsofgratitude.com/

You can also follow Callie on Instagram at: @flagsofgratitude

and on Facebook at: facebook.com/flagsofgratitude

P.S. Has Covid or some other negative life altering event changed your trajectory and helped you follow your dreams?  If so, I would love to hear from you.