Selfless Elementary Schoolers Carol For Needy Kids

Chances are if you walk by the Main Street Market any day during the winter break, you will find two Safety Harbor Elementary School students singing Christmas carols out front. 

But Makayla and Tayelor Bailey aren’t just singing to get into the holiday spirit, or to bring attention to the Market, which is owned by the girls’ parents, Bill and Dawn Bailey.

No, the reason the girls are caroling is much more basic, selfless and pure: they want to raise money to buy gifts for kids who don’t have Christmas presents under their trees. 

“We thought it would be a nice way to help people,” 10-year-old Makayla explained. 

Bill Bailey’s other daughter, Amanda, said the girls came up with the idea last weekend as the family was eating pizza at Dominic’s Pizzeria downtown.

After they were through with their meal, Makayla and Tayelor took the empty pizza box, attached it to a post at the market and began caroling. 

“They wrote something on the box, took out a flashlight, and just started singing, Amanda Bailey said.

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That first set was the culmination of an idea that had been brewing for a while, according to the girls. 

“We have been wanting to do this for a long time, but we didn’t really have anywhere to do it before,” Makayla said. “Now that we have the market, we have a place where we can do it."

After seeing how serious the girls were, Dawn Bailey got together with them and worked out a plan for how they were going to execute their charitable venture.

“As they collect money, I’m going to take them to the store to buy things for the needy kids, and then we’re going to donate the items to various local charities,” she said.

“I told them they could get whatever they want. It was their idea.”

In addition to singing for gifts, the girls have also written stories and poems about helping others, one of which got 7-year-old Tayelor recognition from her teacher. 

“My teacher said it was awesome that I wrote something like that,” she said. “ I just like to think about helping people.” 

The Bailey’s say the girls will be at the Market periodically over the winter break singing songs and collecting donations. Be sure to look for them, and show appreciation for what they are doing, whenever you're walking around downtown.