DANBURY, CT – Immaculate first-year student Chelsea Phaire of Danbury was just featured on Nickelodeon for her huge heart! The network reached out to Phaire to cover Chelsea’s Charity, the non-profit she founded which provides art supplies to children in need. (www.chelseascharity.com) She appeared on its Nick News show on December 20.
Phaire is no stranger to the spotlight though. So far she has been featured on a staggering number of national television shows including: Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt: Kids Edition, LIVE with Kelly and Ryan, the Tamron Hall Show, The Steve Harvey Show, the Disney Channel and Amazon Prime’s Regular Heroes show. Plus, she appeared on The 15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute as its Young Wonder Award winner in 2021. Chelsea was also written about in TIME magazine, Highlights magazine and graced the cover of TIME for Kids magazine.
Phaire credits her parents for being exemplary community service role models, but knew she wasn’t old enough to do the volunteer work they did – so she started her own charity when she turned 10. “I wanted to start a charity focusing on the arts, because I used art a lot when I lost my grandfather at four and when I lost my favorite swimming teacher when I was eight,” Phaire said. “And when I found out that other children may not have access to art materials to use when they’re upset like I did, I knew I had to do something. So in 2019, for my 10th birthday, I asked for art supplies in lieu of birthday presents to get my charity started.”
It took off. The most surprising thing has been how many people were willing to pitch in and help. As Chelsea’s Charity got more news coverage, donations started pouring in. “From college kids giving up their Starbucks for crayons, to artists donating brand new art supplies and lessons, thousands of people have been able to help out in some way and that’s why we’ve given over 34,000 art kits in four years!” Phaire said.
Phaire felt that Immaculate High School’s commitment to giving back was one of the reasons it was the perfect place for her. “Honestly, I loved how dedicated Immaculate is to service and kindness. I thought it was really great that I saw how much IHS worked to normalize kindness and lift up their students and encourage peer empowerment,” Phaire said. “I also realized that my charity work and desire to help others wouldn’t be lost at IHS because it’s encouraged for us to all do our part to help our communities!”
As part of the school’s Opus Fidelium requirement of a minimum of 25 hours of community service, students volunteer at organizations across the region and beyond. The same message has greeted students in Immaculate’s entrance for decades – respect, responsibility and reverence – reminding them of their responsibility to be leaders and to help others. Principal Wendy Neil praised Phaire for inspiring other students.
“We are so proud of Chelsea for taking the initiative to make a difference in the lives of so many who are less fortunate,” said Neil. “She truly embodies our Mustang spirit and we’re thrilled to have her as part of our community. Keep up the great work Chelsea!”
