Sometimes you never know where you will find a hero and what impact they will have on a neighborhood, town, city, or state. An 8-year-old boy in New Jersey decided to help people in need around Christmas and has collected more than 1,000 toys for the children of Puerto Rico.
Jayden Perez is a hero in my eyes because of his tremendous heart. He told his mother, Ana Rosado, that he wanted to donate his Christmas gifts this year to the children affected by Hurricane Maria. For him to think of others at his age tells you he’s going to be a special person when he grows up. He’s going to be someone’s angel because of the love he showed for people he has never met.
His mom decided to take Jayden’s act of kindness a step further by starting a toy drive. Rosado posted a video of Jayden asking for donations on Facebook to start things moving. She never thought it would go viral.
At the time of this story, Jayden and his drive to help the kids in Puerto Rico have collected more than 1,000 toys — with more toys coming every day. Jayden’s mom said a Pennsylvania man had even reached out to her with a huge gift, saying he had a trailer full of toys that had been donated by his community.
A video on Jayden’s act of kindness can be seen below:
Rosado told ABC News. “I’m so proud of my son. … I didn’t expect so many toys.”
“Words can not explain the gratitude I have towards all the Toy donations being shipped to me,” Rosado wrote on Facebook. “OMG, a big thank you to The NBA Eddy Brandon for reaching out to me after seeing Jayden on the news. He shipped me these 11 boxes full of toys for the Children of PR. I am overwhelmed with so much joy and happiness, In tears.”
Efforts are being made to fly both Rosado and Jayden to Puerto Rico to distribute the many toys they’ve collected to a few of the hurting small cities destroyed by Hurricane Maria.
If you loved Jayden’s generosity as much as I did, make sure to share this story with all your friends and family!
Source: ABC News