Bella Jay Bickley loves to stay busy. The 10-year-old fourth grader at Parkview Baptist School is an active volunteer, dancer and athlete in addition to keeping up with her academic pursuits.

“She loves to volunteer her time to help in the community, and that’s what makes her amazing to me,” says Brooke Bickley, Bella Jay’s mom. Bella Jay is a junior volunteer for the Bella Bowman Foundation, a local nonprofit supporting pediatric brain cancer patients, families and research. “She enjoys that more than anything in the whole world.”

Bella Jay helps the foundation in a number of ways, from selling books and lemonade to collecting toys. “She loves doing that throughout the year,” Brooke says. Bella Jay also sets up a box at her dad’s, Doug Bickley’s, office to collect donations for people experiencing homelessness. 

As a member of the competition squad for Center Stage Performing Arts Academy, Bella Jay competes as a singer and dancer. Bella Jay uses her talents to encourage classmates as part of her school’s elementary cheerleading squad. She participates in other sports too, including swim team in the summer, cross country in the fall and basketball in the winter.

Big sister to five-year-old brother Boston, Bella Jay loves to read and started a book club with friends. She’s part of accelerated English and accelerated reader groups at school and qualified for the Duke University Talent Identification Program.

Whether reading, competing or volunteering, Bella Jay is definitely one amazing kid.