There’s a new nonprofit organization here in St. Tammany, but it isn’t affiliated with any big national charities or established local groups.

Ten-year-old Taylor Morgan of Mandeville runs Happy Holiday Helpers, aimed at helping needy families get through the holiday season.

“There’s four girls on my board, and originally we were going to start a babysitting club,” said the Lake Harbor Middle School student. “Then, because Christmas is coming, we decided we wanted our club to do something to really help people, so that seemed like a good name.”

TAYLOR MORGAN

Taylor, a part-time actress who has had small roles in a couple of Disney films, got the idea after she started delivering books and meals to a neighbor going through some hard times. She realized there were more people out there who needed help, and the warm feeling she got after visiting her neighbor led her to set up an organization dedicated to needy families.

That was a month ago. This Saturday, the youngster will host her first charity event, the Happy Holiday Helpers Gumbo Cook-off and Holiday Extravaganza.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will feature live music, visits with Santa Claus, raffles, a garage sale and more. Admission is $1 per person, or two canned goods. In addition, anyone bringing a new unwrapped toy will be entered into all five raffles.

Taylor got a little help from her mom, Pepper, and dad, Wayne, in securing the A-1 Raceway to host the event, but otherwise the youngster is running the show.

“This is really all her,” said Wayne, also an actor. “We’re just the hired help, and we can’t take any credit whatsoever.”

The goal is to help five families, and while Taylor said she has identified a couple of families already, she will most likely work with churches or other agencies to line up the rest. She said there are still slots available for cooking teams to enter the cook-off, and she’s thrilled by the response she’s had so far.

“I guess people usually think adults do stuff like this, but they’re really surprised to find out I’m only 10,” she said.

Taylor’s sisters, Michaela, 7, and Kennedy, 4, both are involved as well. Michaela hopes to become a board member, and Kennedy will serve as a mascot for the organization.

Taylor said she hopes the organization will grow each year, so she can help families all over the state. A straight-A student, she hasn’t given much thought to her future beyond college, only that she will keep working on Happy Holiday Helpers as long as she can.

Taylor said after Saturday’s event, the families will get either toys or a “big, huge” Christmas dinner, but ideally, she and her friends will be able to deliver both.

For more information, e-mail PJMorgan1976@yahoo.com or visit www.meetup.com/HappyHolidayHelpers2008/.