Local girl featured in Reader's Digest

Sylvia McGinnis, News Reporter

Monticello — Her smile was probably one of the first things that people noticed, as

was the piggy bank that she held in her arm. The title of the story, A Young

Girl's Gift, probably caught readers' attention as well.

Local residents who opened the December 2009-January 2010 issue of

Reader's Digest to about the middle of the book couldn't help but notice the

cute little girl with a bright, natural smile holding her piggy bank. That

photo would have prompted many people to read the accompanying story to find

out just what the little girl's gift was, and it didn't take but two

paragraphs for readers to learn that the little girl is eight-year-old

Kinzie Sutton of Wayne County.

The article told readers about how God took Kinzie's small gift of $3.30

in December 2008 and turned it into more than enough money to give one local

family a wonderful Christmas, when it looked like they would not have

Christmas at all.

This is a story that many Wayne County residents already know.

Kinzie's mother, Ann, is a social worker who had learned that one of her

clients‹a young mother who was raising her toddler son and her younger

brother‹could not afford Christmas for the children.

Ann had sought help for the family and was happy to learn that the small

family would be having a good Christmas that year.

However, she later received the news that the help she thought was

coming did not come through. The news was heartbreaking, not only for Ann,

but for her entire family as well. When Kinzie heard that the family would

not be having Christmas after all, she went into her room and brought back

the money she had been saving. She told her mom that it wasn't much but

maybe she could take it and buy the baby something for Christmas.

Kinzie's gift totaled $3.30. Ann told her seven-year-old daughter that

when you give God all you have He can multiply it. And that's exactly what

happened. God took Kinzie's gift of $3.30 and He blessed it. By the end of

the next day, a child's simple faith combined with her gift of $3.30 had

turned into $500. The young family was going to have a wonderful Christmas

after all.

Gary Sledge later read about Kinzie's remarkable story and wanted to

share it with Reader's Digest readers. Early last year, he called Ann from

New York and asked her several in-depth questions about her daughter's

experience.

Kinzie said that although she was excited about being featured in

Reader's Digest, she was still nervous when Sledge called her mom. When she

saw the story, though, she was pleased, noting that "he did a really good

job."

After Sledge talked to Ann, photographer Tamara Reynolds and her

assistants visited the Suttons' home and took pictures of Kinzie, as well as

family and friends who were there during the photo shoot.

"Our house looked like a movie studio," Ann joked, as she and Kinzie

talked about the day the photographer came to their home. Ann noted that

Kinzie wanted to have refreshments on-hand to share with their visitors, who

later talked about how welcome they felt at the Sutton home. Kinzie noted

that it was fun working with the photographer and the two developed a good

"working" relationship. In fact, Reynolds even recommended that Ann send

Kinzie's photos to one of her friends who worked with models.

The interview had been done and the photos had been taken...all the

Suttons had to do now was wait for it to be published. When Kinzie's dad,

Kenny, called and told them that it was in stores they were excited. Kenny

and Ann bought several copies, as did their family members and friends. One

store had sold out of that issue of Reader's Digest. People were wanting to

see the story about Kinzie.

The article and the picture of Kinzie in Reader's Digest captured

readers' attention and it was not long before Ann started receiving some

feedback from the feature about her daughter. She noted that state employees

from all across Kentucky who read the article started sending her emails. A

man from in Ohio read the story about Kinzie and sketched her picture; he

looked Ann up and sent the picture and a note to her at work. Ann could not

believe the response she was getting after the feature about Kinzie was

published.

Perhaps one of the most remarkable things that came about as a result of

Kinzie's story being published in Reader's Digest was the reuniting of

long-lost friends. According to Ann, her father-in-law had a friend that he

had not talked to for several years. They had lost contact with each other

and although they wanted to reconnect they did not know how to get in touch

with each other.

Ann noted that her father-in-law's friends read the feature on Kinzie.

They read that her last name was Sutton and wondered if there was any

connection between the little girl in the article and their old friend. Ann

said they started going down the list of Suttons in the phonebook and

eventually dialed Kenny and Ann Œs number. When they told Ann who they were

trying to get in touch with, she told them that the man they were looking

for was her father-in-law. The long lost friends have since been reunited

and are so excited that they have been able to rekindle their friendship.

As the Sutton family read the article, they relived the experience all

over again.

This past Christmas, the family reflected on Christmas 2008 and talked

about how good God was and is. In fact, they will be talking Christmas 2008

for many years to come. Ann noted that it has always been a tradition for

the Suttons to help local families in need, but that has become an even

bigger desire in their hearts now. She added that no matter how big or small

their efforts may seem to others, they want to continue to help make someone

else's Christmas better.

Ann hopes that Kinzie's story helps people to understand that God can

use anybody at any time, no matter their age or limitations. All it takes it

a willing heart and faith.

"She gave her all to God and He blessed that," Ann said.

That is a lesson that Kinzie still carries with her. In spite of all the

attention that Kinzie has received over the past year, she still thinks

about what God did and she still gives Him credit for it. She remembers that

when she gave her mom her money and told her it wasn't much, her mother told

her that God will multiply it.

"When you give everything to God, He will multiply it," Kinzie said.

"That's my favorite part."

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