Elementary Entrepreneur Turns Covid Miracle into Healthy Mission for Kids

Dunwoody Springs Elementary School third-grader Wade Williams was just five years old when his grandmother Alfreda Williams contracted coronavirus. He was scared and full of questions, but Wade decided to use his experiences to inspire others to be as healthy as possible.

“My grandma caught the virus, and it was a lot of others catching it too,” Wade explained.

It was at that age when Wade became one of the youngest authors in modern history. He wrote a children’s book cleverly titled, “Wade Through the Pandemic,” with help from his dad. The book chronicles Wade’s journey through what he describes as one of the most difficult times of his life.

“He looked at me and said ‘dad I want to help’. We thought about it and said ‘let’s write your own story’,” Wade’s father, Joshua Williams, said. “It was a story of resilience to say ‘I’m getting through this, you can too’.”

Within the next several years, Wade wrote two more books. Published in 2021, “Wade’s Wheels: Wade Rides a Bike,” details his adventures while learning how to ride a bike for the first time. Three years later, Wade wrote his third book, “Wade Meets Lonnie: The Weight is Over.” It aims to inspire other children who battle childhood obesity and other conditions for which they are bullied.

The now-9-year-old has teamed up with his 4-year-old sister, Celine, to create Wade’s and Celine’s Super Vitamin-C Jelly Beans. The orange-flavored dietary supplement helps boost the immune system. Wade says it was also important to him for the beans to be gluten-free and vegan-friendly.

“We came up with it to help kids fight off viruses and stay healthy all year long,” Wade explained. “Kids forget they’re good for you even though they’re Vitamin-C jelly beans.”

Wade’s support system at Dunwoody Springs includes Principal Dr. Shanetress Evans. The sense of community on campus has been paramount in providing the educational foundation Wade needs to succeed. Dr. Evans describes the 3rd-grader as a model student.

“I’m very, very, very proud of the work he’s doing, in school and outside of school,” says Evans. “Once I caught wind of the greatness that Wade has, I immediately said we have to make sure everyone knows about it,” Dr. Evans said.

Wade’s next venture could be just around the corner. He says he might write another children’s book or create another flavor for his Vitamin-C jelly beans. He is also looking forward to one day adding the title of award-winning author to his already impressive resume’.