Millie’s Movement: Local girl collecting donations for children in need

In 2019, News 25 covered the story of Millie Brignone and her nonprofit ‘Millie’s Movement.’ Today, she is back to update everyone on her amazing journey.

When you were seven-years-old what did you do? For Bay St. Louis resident Millie Brignone, the answer is organized her own nonprofit called Millie’s Movement to collect donations for children in need.

Now, five years later, the organization has reached a whole new level. “I used to live in a cul de sac and my dad said no one drives down a cul de sac so maybe you should start something else and then I saw an ad about Toys for Tots and I asked him what it was and that’s when it all started.”

Millie’s Movement began when she decided she wanted to give back to kids in need. She began making beaded bracelets to sell for $3 each. However, that process became a little too much to handle as the purchases continued to roll in. Millie’s dad, J.C. Brignone, said “I came home one night and she was really frustrated and flustered with all of the bracelets, so I sent a message to everybody saying we are going to try and get there as fast as we can, and a lot of people were like just keep the donations don’t worry about it.”

The following year, Millie and her father decided to order bands off the internet to keep up with the demand. Now, Millie has reached nearly $75,000 in total donations. “There’s a lot of negativity going on in the world right now, and I’ve started to realize that I’m encouraging and inspiring others to do great.”

Once all of the year’s donations are collected, Millie and a group go out and purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of toys and goods to give out to those in need. They take these toys and donate them to organizations like Toys for Tots and local charities. “It’s a very humbling experience to see, you know, a little girl her age to understand that not everybody has the same opportunities that she has and, the first time she ever did an interview, that was the first thing she said. She said, ‘I just want kids to feel the same joy I feel on Christmas and my brothers feel on Christmas.”

If you would like to donate to Millie’s Movement, visit the Facebook page at Millie’s Movement: Saving Christmas for information.