When eight-year-old Bellen Woodard overheard her classmates refer to a peach crayon as the “skin-colored crayon,” something didn’t feel right. The comment made her feel “disincluded/unimportant” and she came up with an idea.
Her solution was this: “The next time I’m asked, I’ll just ask my classmates which color would they like because it could be any number of beautiful colors.” Now, Woodard is the nine-year-old founder and president of Bellen’s More Than Peach Project.
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As a result of Woodard’s response in the classroom, her teacher and classmates began using the same language. Her impact not only reached her own immediate peers, but eventually her school and community.
More than Peach is a national movement with Woodard at the helm. The intelligent student and model serves not only as the spokesperson but an agent of change. She has received multiple proclamations from government officials and has been featured on MSNBC, The Today Show with Hoda and Jenna, local news outlets, The Washington Post and more.
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Woodard’s project and art supply kits, known as Palette Packets, have recently been received for permanent collection at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and are now available for purchase! Each packet includes a custom sketchpad, an eight-count box of Crayola multicultural crayons, a standard 24-count box of crayons and the More than Peach letter and story for $8.99 (includes free shipping). Parents and organizations can also purchase the sketchbook separately for $5.99.
Proceeds from Palette Packets support her philanthropy efforts in her goal of sharing them with peers across the country and hopes to donate to over 80,000 students. You can learn more and support the project by going to www.morethanpeach.com and following Woodard on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
––Karly Wood
Feature photo: More Than Peach Project via Instagram
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