Holiday Hero: 8-Year-Old Wisconsin Boy Aims to Collect a Thousand Toys for Kids at the Same Children鈥檚 Hospital Where He Had Surgery
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This article is one in a series at 社区黑料 that profiles the heroes, victories, success stories, and random acts of kindness found at schools all across America. Read more of our recent inspiring profiles at The74Million.org/series/inspiring.
Cody Struble from Caledonia, Wisconsin, knows that when you鈥檙e a kid spending Christmas at a hospital, sometimes a toy is all you need.
The 8-year-old hopes to collect 1,500 gifts for children in hospitals over the holidays.
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As , Cody required three surgeries by the time he turned 5. Needless to say, Cody’s spent a lot of time at Children鈥檚 Hospital of Wisconsin.
What saw him through all those surgeries? His yellow stuffed animal Oso.
In a shared by Cody鈥檚 aunt Sonia, the boy hugs his furry friend as he realizes that hundreds of children will spend their Christmases at the very same hospital. Cody reflects: 鈥淚 cried the whole way home except for when [my mom and I] pulled in the driveway and I said I wanted to do a toy drive.鈥�
This year marks Cody鈥檚 third annual toy drive.
According to the Cody鈥檚 Toys for Children鈥檚 Hospital group on Facebook, he collected more than 500 toys in 2016, when Cody was just 6 years old.
In 2017, he aimed to collect 800 toys but ended up with 1,176.
This year, Cody hopes to raise 1,500 toys.
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The Caledonia community rallies around Cody each year to help achieve his goals. Community members can drop off donated toys at Zarate’s Auto from late October to mid-December.
Christopher Schmaling, a Racine County sheriff, plans to use the SWAT truck to deliver the toys to the Children鈥檚 Hospital.
When asked why he continues to organize these annual toy drives, Cody told : 鈥淚 just try my best to be nice to people.鈥�
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