Teen raises about $54k for charity by carrying out acts of kindness every day of the pandemic

While the world nearly buckled under the immense pressure of the pandemic, one teen from Lichfield, Staffordshire, in the United Kingdom was busy making a difference in people's lives by performing random acts of kindness. 18-year-old Sebbie Hall, who has physical and learning difficulties, started his inspiring mission when he realized some people do not have access to technology that'd help them keep in touch with friends in the first lockdown. According to Birmingham Mail, it all began with Sebbie wanting to donate his iPad to a friend when school closed.

However, his mom Ashley Hall suggested that he might help more people by raising money to buy more than one device. Sebbie started with 10 sponsored acts of kindness over 10 days to raise £1k (approximately $1,344) for charities. "He bought this friend a device at the end of the 10 days but because he enjoyed watching other people smile, he then wanted to continue," 51-year-old Hall explained to Metro. Sebbie has since raised tens of thousands of pounds for charities by carrying out over 2000 acts of kindness for random strangers. He has walked neighbors' pets, watered gardens, posted mail for isolating locals, washed cars and baked cakes for nurses. The teen has also handed out PPE, collected unwanted Halloween pumpkins to make soup and pies for people in need and given warm coats to the homeless.

Furthermore, Sebbie spent his own pocket money to buy lottery tickets for strangers, given 100 roses to 100 women to make them smile and has helped at food banks. So far, he has raised over £40,000 (approximately $54,000) which has paid for 300 families to get adapted IT devices, funded a disability rugby team, paid for three IT suites for young people to use to find work, bought communication kits for kids at four specialist schools, and set up a disability arts hub. "Kindness is my superpower," the young man said.

"It's hard for any young person to go up to random strangers and speak to them, and even harder for Sebbie because he finds it really hard to find words himself," Hall said of her son. "But he somehow found this inner strength of being kind. It's given him a position within his own community and a confidence that he didn't have before. What he has done is absolutely incredible and has a real impact on society. I am immensely proud of him." Sebbie's disabilities are reportedly a result of a chromosomal alteration discovered when he was aged just one. Hall revealed that she and Sebbie's dad, Craig Hall, were warned their son would likely never walk, talk, understand things or even sit up when he was diagnosed with the chromosomal alteration.

"Sebbie keeps showing it's worth keeping on striving: never give up. Everybody has potential and sometimes we can even smash that," she said. "Sebbie wanted to make a difference and he has. He's inspired so many others, and the kindness he began is still circulating... I'm immensely proud of him. I couldn't be more proud. The impact of his kindness has been incredible. It's like this lovely ripple effect going out from him. It's fabulous. The money's very important and he's been able to create real change. I look at him daily and I can’t believe that he is doing this. He knows so much and is so empathetic." 

In recognition of his incredible acts of kindness, Sebbie was selected for the World Compassion Award and received $10,000 from the grand supreme master Ching Hai on December 17. The teen plans to use this fund to set up the Sebbie Hall Kindness Foundation, through which he will continue his acts of kindness. While Sebbie will carry out his last individual act of kindness on December 31, he will keep the spirit of giving alive by organizing two kindness events a year through his foundation.