Steve Harmic
Dec 18, 2023
Avah Dixon as the Grinch, visiting children at their home during the holiday season. What started out as a way to make extra money in order to purchase Christmas gifts for her family, has turned out to be an exercise in charitable giving.
CURWENSVILLE, PA. – With a heart that has grown three sizes, 13-year-old Avah Dixon has again donned her green suit, spreading Christmas cheer as the Grinch, and is donating a portion of her profits to Mature Resources Area Agency on Aging this year to support services offered to Clearfield County senior citizens.
Avah is now in her second year masquerading as, presumably, the reformed version of the famous green hermit from the end of the classic Dr. Seuss story – the version spreading Christmas cheer, rather than taking it. The eighth grader at Curwensville Area Junior-Senior High School makes appearances at public events, private parties, and takes shopping trips with families in need of a little extra help buying Christmas gifts. What started out as a way to make extra money in order to purchase Christmas gifts for her family, has turned out to be an exercise in charitable giving.
“My mom and dad helped me come up with a way to earn money for Christmas gifts a few years ago. It wasn't until last year that I decided to do it and I was amazed at how many people were interested in the idea,” Avah recalled. “When I got so much interest and support from the community last year, my dad and I decided I should give back in some way. Last year we helped with the cause of Rest Inc. and this year we want to help the Area Agency on Aging.”
Avah explained how grinching works with a little help from friends and family. She said, “My mom schedules everything for me and does the advertising. A lot of the posts that are on my Facebook page are put together by our friends Phillip and Heather, they are local YouTubers that hired me for a video last year and then we became friends. My mom posts ads about a week before Thanksgiving and then people message her to make a visit appointment. Once my schedule is booked and my Grinch days start, my mom drives me around to all of the different homes. She tries to stay parked away from the house in order to make the kids wonder where the Grinch came from. I just have to pay her in coffee!”
While gift giving is gratifying for Avah, she said it’s the personal interactions that bring her the most holiday happiness. “It makes me feel really good being able to bring so many people laughs and joy around the holiday season. The reactions I get from kids and even adults make me laugh. That's what it's all about,” she said.
Avah’s mother, Tiffany, said, “Her dad, brother, and I are so proud of the young lady that Avah is. Even when she was little, she was always concerned about others, wanting to give gifts and be a friend to everyone. Seeing such empathy, compassion, and ambition in her is extremely heartwarming. We live in a world that is so full of negativity and Avah helps eliminate some of that during the Christmas season. We are truly blessed to be the parents of such an amazing young lady.”
In addition to offering support to MRAAA through her Grinch program this year, Avah has also participated in the Giving Tree, purchasing gifts for seniors in need.
Follow “Grinched by Avah” on Facebook.