CHESAPEAKE, Va. — We had to move fast to catch up with our Everyday Hero as he was on the move at the ForKids charity in Chesapeake, where he volunteers.
“Are you Harvey? I’m Beverly Kidd from News 3 — and do you know why we’re here?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t.”
“We are here to give you an Everyday Hero award. Can I get a round of applause for Harvey?”
“Thank you, thank you very much.”
“Is this how you thought your day was going to go?”
“Absolutely not," (laughter)
We caught up with Harvey Smith as he was delivering bikes for the yearly toy drive.
“Today we donated 65 bikes. We also brought in helmets and knee pads and stuff like that,” he said.
He’s also responsible for helping get a new teen center built at ForKids that just opened last month.
“The younger kids are near and dear to everybody, but teens need a place of their own, and they’ve never had a dedicated space. Now they have a dedicated space that is theirs,” Smith said.
While Lowe’s supplied the bikes for the toy drive and the materials for the new teen center, it was Harvey who was the conduit to make it happen.
“I hear you’re at the forefront of these efforts.”
“Well, somebody has to do it, and I don’t mind stepping up,” he said.
Because of that, Southern Bank — a News 3 community partner — surprised him with a $300 gift card.
“Thank you very much, and I’d like to give this back to them.”
“What we love about Harvey is that he doesn’t know how to say no,” a ForKids CEO Thaler McCormick said. “So he says yes to all the different needs — whether it’s volunteering, if we need an appliance, or whatever. He’s going to find a way to make that happen.”
ForKids helps families struggling with housing and food insecurity — and makes sure kids have toys to open on Christmas morning.
“It’s rewarding,” Smith said. “I try to bring people in and involve as many people as I can think of. It’s good for the soul.”
Harvey Smith is an invaluable part of the ForKids effort, and he is Positively Hampton Roads.
“The world needs many more Harveys,” said McCormick.
