Girl shares gifts, shows love

Summer donated her birthday gifts to the Durham Rescue Mission.

BY ADAM PLAYFORD : The Herald-SunJul 5, 2006 : 9:28 pm ET DURHAM -- 

 

"I caught it! I caught it!" Quintin, 6, yelled triumphantly as he balanced a ball atop the small stick to which it was attached. The toy was a birthday present, which Quintin received at a birthday party. But the party wasn't for Quintin. Summer Rook turned 5 on June 22. Earlier in the month, she had a birthday party with her friends. They brought gifts. Wednesday, she gave them away. Summer already gets gifts from her family, said her mother, Debbie Rook, 35. Every year, they go to the beach with relatives. But this year, Summer went to a friend's birthday party and wanted one of her own, her mom said. Debbie Rook said fine -- but presents from her friends would have to be given to charity. She asked Summer where she would like to donate them. She didn't hesitate, her mother recalled. "Children who don't have homes," Summer answered. So Wednesday, Summer and her parents visited the Durham Rescue Mission's Good Samaritan Inn, a refuge for homeless women and children at 507 E. Knox St., and threw a birthday party for some of the kids who live there. The invitation to the party told people to bring gifts that the mission could use -- especially diapers. Summer's dad, Leighton Rook, 50, said he was proud of her. "I thought it was great," he said. "It comes from the heart." At the party, the kids opened their presents and ran around the room, playing with their new toys. Destiny, 5, was absorbed in her new coloring book, though she stopped to ask a nearby adult what color a bubble should be. She decided on purple. "If you color it, it's fun," she said. Quintin consulted with Leighton Rook on how to play with a paddle and attached ball. Bouncing the ball toward the ground, he was able to hit the paddle five times before losing control but couldn't quite get any further. Summer was equally busy playing. "She just jumped in and [started] playing with the kids," Debbie Rook said. Summer said she wanted to give her presents to these kids "because they don't have very much toys." "They don't have any homes," she added. Debbie Rook said she wanted Summer to give away the presents because she doesn't want her to get caught up in the "greed trap." "It's our job as parents to make sure that it isn't just 'give me, give me,' but that she thinks about other people," she said. "I thought it was just wonderful," said Gail Mills, the rescue mission's co-founder. "The children there at the Samaritan Inn really enjoyed it, and I think Summer enjoyed seeing the children so excited about the gifts she brought and the diapers and baby wipes and things she brought." Tony Gooch, the rescue mission's development representative, echoed Mills' sentiment. "The kids got a big smile on their faces, and they're going to remember this for a long time," he said. "It's not often that they get toys," he added.

Editor's note: The Herald-Sun agreed not to print the last names of the children at the party because some children at the center are escaping abusive relationships.