After hearing about the water crisis in Flint over family dinner, Isiah Britt knew he needed to take action and help out.

The seven year old’s first plan of action was to get his parents involved to contact Eisenhower Elementary School in Flint, Michigan--Isiah wanted to know about the students and how he could help out.

The school’s staff said that students were afraid to wash their hands and Isiah knew this wasn’t okay. So he and his parents sent up a GoFundMe fundraising page with one goal in mind: to help the students at this elementary school get access to safe hand-washing techniques like hand sanitizer.

On the fundraising page, Isiah wrote:

I want to help the students at Eisenhower Elementary School in Flint Michigan. They have a lot of water bottles from big companies but they still can't wash their hands at school. So I am going to raise money to buy hand sanitizer for their school. $500 (USD) will help buy 20 cases of hand sanitizer (one case for each classroom). Once we meet our goal, we will have the hand sanitizer shipped directly to Eisenhower Elementary School. Thank you for helping me!

Soon enough, the incredible second grader’s page hit $5000 USD, which meant Isiah was exceeding his goal of helping one elementary school. Now, 10 schools could be helped.

Within just two weeks of creating the page, the funds increased to just under $10,000 USD--well above the $500 USD goal and way too amazing!  

Listen to some of Isiah’s words of wisdom:

“It doesn’t matter if you’re small, it doesn’t mean you can’t do big things!” Isiah exclaims.

His words match his incredible act of kindness that allowed shipments of hand sanitizer to be sent to 12 other elementary schools in Flint!

“I was so excited for what I’d done to try and make the world a better place,” Isiah told Washington Post when asked about his big project, “I know it can be a better place.”

Isiah's parents said that the team’s next step is to extend outreach to daycares and women's shelters in Flint!

Isiah’s efforts can inspire everyone to get involved. Purell even jumped in to help out by supplying products in a special way and this project has sparked conversations across communities.

Purell is donating some new products to students in Flint and even sent some to Isiah!

Isiah with some donated Purell products.

Isiah’s right! The world can be a better place and global citizens have the power to make it happen! Even though access to hand sanitizer does not solve the overwhelming issue of contaminated water, kids can now keep their hands clean, especially during flu season!

Isiah Britt reminds global citizens that big changes can result from small actions. Fundraising money to buy supplies during emergencies, sharing Isiah’s story, and shining a light on the Flint water crisis are just a few ways to take action--but don’t be afraid to get creative!

Super heroes really do come in small packages!