HUSTONVILLE, Ky. — An 8-year-old boy from Casey County who launched his own soap business is teaming up with a Kentucky hospital to pay it forward.
Scott Dean Russell is committed to making a difference by raising money and awareness to help childhood amputees get artificial limbs.
“It’s just not right. I don’t think it’s fair that other people don’t have them, limbs, because they should,” he explained.
The young entrepreneur recently emerged as an advocate for children needing prosthetics after meeting another student on the school bus who had an arm amputation.
That stuck with him and he wanted to do something about it, so he started a soap business.
“Kids like that probably just feel left out sometimes,” Scott Dean said.
With the help of his parents, Scott Dean founded The Love of Bubbles, and his mother Amy Russell loved the initiative he showed with this movement.
“Even though we will probably never meet the young person that is going to be aided by the donation that he’s made to Shriners Children’s, it just makes us happy knowing that somebody out there was able to benefit from all our hard work,” she said.
Taking an active role in his community, Scott Dean offers a variety of handmade soaps and scents for $5 using a goat’s milk base.
“We have any kind of scent you can imagine, even from a nonscented soap base. We actually have a gentle care line that has no scent and then we have an option of no scent or colorant in it,” Amy Russell explained.
Scott Dean’s soaps are popular, not just because they’re freshly scented, but because all the money raised goes towards a good cause—Shriners Children’s Lexington.
“It’s been amazing. It’s probably one of the things that’s kept me motivated to do this, because the support makes me feel happy,” he said.
On a mission to do good, Scott Dean has since raised thousands of dollars to support the hospital’s pediatric orthotics and prosthetics services.
“$4,200 is a lot of money, so I didn’t really expect that at all,” he said.
But as the Russells quickly learned, insurers often refuse to cover prosthetic limbs for children, or they often cap coverage.
“Imagine how hard it would be to learn to use your arm after you were an adult. These kids need to learn these motor skills as they’re young and they need to be equipped with the ability to do that,” Amy Russell said.
It’s a relief for the 8-year-old knowing that his innovative efforts aren’t holding other children with limb differences back in life.
For this small business owner, it’s an obligation to help others.
“It’s good to help people with needs and that are in need because it gives you a feeling of joy and passion,” Scott Dean said.
Overall, the mother of four hopes her son’s generosity creates a ripple effect of good.
“Our future society depends upon us teaching our kids to reach out and lend a hand to someone that needs it, because they maybe be the one needing it next time,” she said.
Scott Dean hopes his business will raise $10,000 to help children get artificial limbs.
The Love of Bubbles takes individual orders through Facebook Messenger.