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When Tess Stevens, 13, received her first American Girl dolls as a third-grader, they ended up in a donation bin when she outgrew them.

But when her grandfather gave her another doll two years ago that his friend's granddaughter had stashed in an attic for years, "something clicked," she said. "I felt bad for [the doll]. Nobody had loved her. We [became] best friends."

Tess made a bedroom, clothes and accessories for the 18-inch blonde doll, Kailey, described by the company as a 10-year-old body-surfer. Tess even did chores around her Clifton Park home to earn $70 for a special bunk bed.

As the girl-doll friendship blossomed, Tess "wished every girl could have such a great experience," so she approached her parents about starting a company that matches available dolls with children in need of one - whether the recipients are from low-income families or dealing with difficult circumstances like divorce or bullying.

Karing kompany
"She started talking about all the other American Girl dolls sitting in an attic, not being loved," said Tess' mother, Kimberly. "We thought it was a very playful idea at first, and then we realized she was completely serious."

Tess and her family got to work, and today, her brainchild is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization called Kailey's Kare. It has a website and business cards and recently started matching carefully-screened girls with dolls.

Kailey's Kare has received donations of dolls, accessories and money from Tess' father's company, and from students at St. Pius X School in Loudonville, where Tess is an eighth-grader. Donors receive rubber bracelets and tax credits.

Four girls have received dolls so far. Tess judges whether an applicant's emails demonstrate financial and social need and are "touching." Her father visits the girls' homes to make sure it's safe for Tess to stop by, and Tess returns with him to present the toys as a surprise for the recipients.

Doll prep
There's a process to preparing the dolls for adoption, Tess discovered through internet research. Depending on their condition, she cleans them, tightens their limbs and heads and uses special combs and fabric softener to restore their hair. Then she adds her own touches: large pink hair bows, detailed adoption certificates and "KK" insignias on the bottom of their feet in purple marker. The dolls travel in pink baskets covered with blankets.

Tess believes God would want her to put this much care into Kailey's Kare.

"I know I'm going to heaven one day and I'm going to get to talk to Him, and I hope He'll appreciate this," said the parishioner of St. Edward's Church in Clifton Park. "I [can] take a lot of things for granted: I have a coat and snow pants and stuff, and a lot of kids don't."

Tess knows people might criticize her choice of giving dolls instead of more essential items - one person sent an email to that effect - but she tries not to let it faze her.

"I know girls need clothes and stuff, but I don't have that, so I'm supplying what I can," she said. "If I'm ever having a rough day, I can come home to Kailey and talk with her. If you're missing somebody, you can snuggle with [your doll] and have tea parties and whatever little girls do. I feel like it's getting a new family member. It's just so comforting."

Special friend
Owning an authentic American Girl doll, which runs between $115 and $130, makes girls feel special, she added.

Tess compares Kailey to the younger sibling she never had and says she'd be "devastated" if American Girl dolls ever fell out of popularity.

"I've always dreamed that my doll would come alive," she said. "I've always thought she has a soul and I've thought of getting her baptized by my priest."

She wants Kailey to stay in her life forever: "When I'm a grown-up, I'll probably be doing my job and stuff, so I'm thinking I'll give her to my kids."[[In-content Ad]]

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