The Shelly Story
From a dysfunctional upbringing, and not one but two abusive relationships as an adult, The Shelly Story was born. Shelly and the Circle of Light, a children’s book in which a lightning bug has to experience life before she learns that she lights up and can fly, was followed by The Shelly Song in which kids sing about having a song, love and light in their hearts that they must keep singing, the desire to share light and love with the world was born.
Welcome to Tummies, Minds, & Spirits
The dream of TMS is to create communities where children get the support they need to dream big and build extraordinary lives, permanently breaking the cycle of poverty. We do that by partnering with groups that already exist in disadvantaged areas, beginning with Cape Town South Africa and continuing with the Just Be Kind! Club movement in Indianapolis, Indiana, to support sustainable change and community education and involvement.
TMS was born out of a broken past, and Rochelle was asked to share this story with an international community. Now, she is asking you to do the same thing in your local community.
“Tummies, Minds, & Spirits will holistically transform lives by providing learners with the necessary psycho-social skills to achieve their absolute best.” Rochelle Forrest Hankins
What first started as an international effort now has a local, community focus. Several years ago, Rochelle was invited to accompany representatives from another charity to travel to Capetown, South Africa to record her children’s book, Shelly and the Circle of Light, and the accompanying Shelly Song, with a goal of eventually having them recorded in 10 languages. She was asked to support the Community Cohesion NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in Hanberg, South Africa. While supporting this international effort, she only recently became more acutely aware of needs right here in our own community. How did she become aware of these needs? By doing something simple.
The Just Be Kind Movement
It started by taking a simple walk across the street from a world in which worshipers sit every Sunday morning to an apartment complex literally a few yards – but, figuratively, worlds — away. From songs, worship and fellowship, to a world in which kids are exposed to poverty and crime that the worshipers never could have imagined facing as children themselves.
The Just Be Kind Club is a cooperative, collaborative effort that joins leaders of business, educational and religious institutions, and other local organizations in teaching kids in our communities the value of performing simple acts of kindness, on purpose, every day of their lives, and how to celebrate kindness in a world in which there are way too many negative distractions. The Just Be Kind Club movement encourages positive, kind interactions, from the simplest of tasks (“I held the door for someone”) to those that require more personal commitment (“I watched my siblings so my Mom could go to work”).
The “Just Be Kind Club” movement is a daily challenge for club members to be kind — on purpose — 365 days a year.
Join Us In The Dream
Won’t you join in helping us to create circles of light — from one light, to two lights to a world of light? The “Just Be Kind” movement is a connection, allowing individuals and organizations who are already committed to doing good – to being kind – to do so in a collaborative, supportive, synergistic fashion. Just like Rochelle was asked to support charitable efforts in an international community, won’t you join us in doing the same for your own, local community? Won’t you help complete the Circle of Light by joining the Just Be Kind movement? What is your gift? And will you unpack your gift to help support this movement? This is the beginning of a World of Enough, and only through your participation can we complete this dream.
TEAM – Together, Everyone Achieves Miracles. If you are willing to share your time, talent and treasure by being part of the Just Be Kind movement, please reach out to us.
