The Gratitude Crayon

Heather Benoit is a teacher–turned–author with a heartwarming message to spread. Born and raised in Thibodaux, La., Heather taught in the Thibodaux public school system for years, having most recently taught at Thibodaux Elementary. 

Throughout her life here, Heather has always been involved in community service. Philanthropy, as she puts it, was always something big on her heart. Writing was also a great passion for her from a young age, and because of that, she believes where she is was just where God wanted her to be. 

“I actually had a poem published in ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ when I was about twelve. It was the first time I went out and submitted some of my poetry. Growing up, I kept a binder of short stories and poems. I knew I always enjoyed writing, and working with kids. I think where I am today is not surprising because I’ve always had a heart for serving others,” Heather shared. 

Now, Heather runs a non-profit called Beyond the Bell, at which she recently made ten years. This program’s mission focuses on enhancing the lives of at-risk youth. Their goal is to provide wholesome experiences, new opportunities, and unconditional love to children from broken homes or with a traumatic past. 

“Our center serves as a happy, safe, positive space where they can be themselves and get that love and guidance they need to be a well-rounded citizen. Our ultimate goal is to get them to be citizens in a community, to be able to give back, to be able to work and make it a better place,” Heather said. 

The community initiative is in a very poverty-stricken area with high crime. As Heather describes it, the job was a real “here’s a blank canvas, paint your picture” opportunity. As a former teacher, she began this mission with an education component: after school programs where kids got help with their homework and could openly talk about what was coming up for school and get help with things like band fees. 

“When I first started, it was a lot of just building those relationships and earning that trust. Just trying to break the cycles in that community so there wouldn’t be so much drug usage, shootings, and high crime. As the years went on, I saw the need for financial help,” Heather said. 

It was around that time, Heather shared, that the non-profit really took off in doing partnerships, fundraising, and getting grants for those kids who wanted to be in band or sports but could not afford it. Just recently, Heather discovered that one kid in her program made the first chair for an honor band playing the tuba. As of now, the program has a 100% success rate and works everyday to make a real difference in these kids’ lives. 

During her time teaching and her present life working in the non-profit, Heather does not hesitate to admit that her favorite part of both have been the children. She’s been told by friends that kids just seem to gravitate toward her and she wants to believe it is due to her kind nature, her high energy, and non-judgmental spirit. 

“A lot of times it’s so hard for kids to find that trust. Especially like me, I’m a white lady coming into this predominantly black community, so it took a while to build that trust. But, once they saw how much I love those kids and how much I do for them, that’s when that trust built,” Heather said. 

She also greatly appreciates having a creative outlet through her work both in the classroom and in the non-profit. Her life is fulfilled by spending time with kids and making a difference in their lives. 

Her new book, The Gratitude Crayon, was inspired by a moment during her last year of teaching when a child gifted her a simple purple crayon because he knew it was her favorite color. It made such a significant impact on Heather because, as she said, this specific student was such a memorable light in her class. 

“I think the reason I shared this story is just the importance of gratitude it teaches. He, in that moment when we had our Christmas party, saw multiple classmates coming up to me to give me a gift. He didn’t have anything in his school bag that anybody bought to give me. But, he took it upon himself to grab the resources he had of a box, Christmas paper, and a purple crayon, and wrapped it up and gave it to me. To know that he took that time to come up with this plan to still be able to give me something, meant the world to me,” Heather shared. 

She instantly saw the importance in that small moment and how it meant that you didn’t need money to show someone you appreciate them or to make them feel seen. Her students always knew purple was her favorite color by her purple markers and tennis shoes, but this student took the time to recognize that and gift her his own purple crayon. She still keeps it in its box to this day on her desk. If she’s having a rough day, she opens it up to remind herself to be grateful and that love does not cost anything. 

Heather decided to share this story first as a Facebook post around two years ago. She took notice of an influx of negativity on social media so she decided to share a picture of the crayon and the story of the boy who gave it to her. The post soon went viral and Heather found herself on ABC news. Knowing she always wanted to be an author, she decided to turn this story that seemed to resonate with many into her first children’s book. 

In the book, she writes about the Christmas party they had in class that fateful day and the process the student went through to give her this special gift. And though the story was clear, the process of creating the book had its setbacks. 

Heather ultimately decided to self-publish after looking into traditional publishing and finding it a bit too pricey. She wanted to know the ins and outs so she took it upon herself. After writing the book early in 2024, the biggest personal challenge she faced was getting the format of the book just right. She spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos and researching on what to do and how to do, and clearly, it all paid off. 

As for the illustrations, Heather went back and forth on what she would do with them. In the end, she was able to turn her book into a family project by getting her son and husband to draw the illustrations, making it all the more personal. She has also had the opportunity to read the books to classrooms of students, spreading this message of gratitude to schools around the community. 

Heather definitely plans to write more children’s books in the future. She realized this story was one children and adults needed to hear when a boy in her non-profit program walked into her office and asked her what was in the white box on her desk. She showed him the purple crayon and told the story. After this book, Heather said the kids in her program gave her the idea that her next story should be about how the program was started, and each kid could draw a page in it. 

She’s excited to show how much of a family the kids in her program are to her. While there are so many more notable moments from her days in the classroom that she’d love to revisit and write about, Heather really wants to create more stories about the program she’s working in now to further the message of helping others. 

The Gratitude Crayon is available for purchase on Amazon, ready to inspire the spirit of giving in everyone who reads it.