Two boys from Liberty, Ohio, toughed out Wednesday's rainy skies to bring a little sunshine to AWARE, Mercer County's rape-crisis and domestic violence agency.

The brothers brought big smiles to the faces of agency workers as the boys wheeled in a bright yellow, red and blue-hued dresser.

Nick Holmes, 12, and his brother Zack, 6, said they decided to take their allowances to buy the dresser and pack it with books, activity sets, a video cassette recorder and video cassette tapes so the children served by the agency could enjoy them.

The brothers made their most recent donation after contributing two Nintendo Game Boy systems and cartridges to the agency last month.

Nick said at first he and his brother were going to sell their systems, but they changed their minds after hearing of the agency's mission.

"We were gonna sell our Game Boys to get the money," he said, "but then we found out there was a shelter around and me, my mom and my brother decided to (give them the toys)."

This time around, the brothers gave the shelter children's books and G-rated movies, such as "Cinderella," "Charlotte's Web," "Peter Pan" and "Winnie the Pooh."

Their mother, Paula, said the boys made sure each tape was rewound, so the kids wouldn't have to wait to watch them.

She added that after her sons donated to the agency the first time, it gave the family a chance to talk about the issues with which AWARE deals.

"It really opened up that conversation for us (about domestic violence awareness)," she said. "We walked away with a blessed feeling. We really don't know what people are going through on a daily basis, (so) we need to be considerate of others."

She went on to say that she is very proud of her sons.

"I think it's really cool," she said of her sons' contribution. "Parents should encourage (their children to donate) because that's a good trait to have."

Agency officials said the items will surely benefit the children they service.

Mary Miller, an AWARE domestic violence coordinator, grew teary-eyed as she spoke of the boys' generosity.

"I'm just speechless," she told the brothers. "It's very heartwarming ... we're so happy you thought of us."

Ms. Miller added that young people don't often give of themselves for the betterment of others.

"You don't see the youth of today making that reality connection, but (these boys) know that domestic violence is a serious issue," she said. "We've got some great youth in the Mercer County area."

Others wishing to donate to AWARE may call (724) 981-3753 or (724) 662-1870.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Patrecka Adams at padams@sharonherald.com.

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