Lilly may look like she has a picture perfect life gracing this month's edition of American Girl magazine, but her life hasn't always been glitz and glamor.
"I was born in a homeless shelter," said Lilly Thompson.
When Lilly was just a baby, her mom Lynette worked hard to get on her feet, but one she was finally able to move out of the shelter, she was diagnosed with cancer and died a short time later.
Lilly was adopted by a family who lives in Meridian and didn't actually know about the details of her upbringing until about a year and a half ago.
"I was pretty shocked. I didn't know. I didn't have any idea," said Lilly.
"We wanted her to have maybe some hope and some respect for where she came from and to recognize how far she had come in life," said Lilly's adoptive mom Kimberly.
Once Lilly knew her story it became her mission to give back to the shelter in San Diego that she was born in, and give back she did.
Last Christmas, with the help of the community she raised more than $2,500 for baby supplies and toys.
A few news stories and articles later, and American Girl Magazine caught wind of Lilly and her quest to help homeless babies.
An interview and a photo shoot later, and shes become a story of hope for girls all across the country.
"We opened the magazine and Lilly was just beaming," said Kimberly.
While the recognition is nice, Lilly's mission is still the same.
"I just want to keep my focus on helping homeless children," said Lilly.
"You can take hard circumstances and you can make a wonderful life for yourself and you can use that as a stepping stone and never ever forget where you came from," said Kimberly.
To follow Lilly's story click here.
To help Lilly on her journey click here.
