5-year-old boy shows love to homeless people through T-shirt fundraiser 

When 5-year-old Eli Dewees had a conversation with a houseless person recently and learned that person had been assaulted, he wondered what he could do to help the person and others in similar situations.

Now, he’s helped raise about $3,000 for a local organization that helps the unhoused through T-shirt sales.  

Eli came up with a drawing for a sign for someone to hold up to promote love over violence.

Toni Dewees, Eli’s mother, shared the design and the story and people began requesting T-shirts.

The shirt reads, “This person has big fists. The sign says: powerful people have to show love. If we see a powerful person who isn’t showing love, we just show them this sign and show them love.” 

Eli has now sold around 60 shirts and inspired several more donations to New Horizon Communities — an organization that hosts tiny house villages for people living outside.  

On Friday, March 7, New Horizon hosted a pizza party to celebrate Eli and his kindness. Staff at New Horizon said his fundraiser made their week, and were happy to see someone so young spread love.  

“It’s just so sweet to see someone young and so innocent not having any presumptions of why that person is in the situation that they’re in,” said Jaycie Osterberg-Brown, a staff member at New Horizon.

Toni said Eli and his 9-year-old brother, Viper, have both always been very interested in what can be done to get housing for everyone.

They are given a dollar a week as giving money, and choose to keep it in the car for people who ask for help, she said. Viper said if he was president the first thing he would do is have a home for everyone.

“It’s the ‘anything is possible’ thinking that makes things possible,” Toni said.  

Eli, who loves dogs, salmon, stuffies and candy, said he feels sad when he sees homeless people and thinks kids can make a difference.  

 At the pizza party, New Horizon staff presented Eli with a plaque for being a “Tiny House Hero."

A garden bed at the tiny house village was also named after Eli and Viper in honor of their kindness and donation, and they were given water bottles filled with treats like candy and stickers.  

 With the money raised, two tiny houses will be made safe for people to live in. New Horizon provides permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals, said Colleen Carmichael, New Horizon executive director.

The organization has three villages across Mason, Pierce and Thurston counties, and is funded through the Department of Commerce and housing vouchers through county housing authorities. Tenants pay rent if they’re able to, Carmichael said.  

 “You hope the work we do here gets through. To see a 5-year-old understand the importance of being kind and loving to everyone, that’s what’s really going to make a difference for homelessness in general," Carmichael said.

"Just not bothering people but having them understand that any one of us could be on the streets at any time and it’s our responsibility as community to help each other out. That’s what it’s about and he’s learned that at a very young age.” 

 Carmichael says if people have a fear of the houseless population they should come out and see what New Horizons has going on, or call and ask questions.

She says people are often surprised when they actually come and talk or get involved and begin to understand the houseless population’s struggles.  

 “It’s that natural inclination to love other people that fear and trauma kind of suffocates,” Carmichael said.

“He’s a good lesson that we all have that capacity to love in us, sometimes we just kind of quiet that down and now’s really the time to open that back up again.” 

 Other than providing housing, New Horizon offers programs, such as art therapy, music and trauma therapy. There are also internship programs for college students to get credit while working with New Horizon. The organization is recovery-based, and hosts 30 people at its Thurston village.  

 People who want to buy one of Eli’s shirts to support New Horizon can purchase them by clicking here.

Editor's note: This story has been updated.