A little boy from New Jersey started a toy drive after realizing that many children in Puerto Rico will not receive toys this holiday season. Jayden Perez, 8, from Woodland Park, New Jersey, in the act of pure kindness, wanted to give some joy to all the children in Puerto Rico that are having difficult times right now due to the disaster caused by Hurricane Maria.
Jayden was concerned about the boys and girls on the island so after Thanksgiving, he approached his mother for help to ask the community to donate toys for those Puerto Rican children, and the response was terrific. “It started out with him telling me he wanted to donate his toys to the children in Puerto Rico,” said Jayden’s mother, Ana Rosado.
Jayden, who has Puerto Rican roots, came up with the idea to ask his coaches and his friends’ parents to donate toys. His mom even posted a Facebook video of him with a cardboard message that read, “Make a child happy in Puerto Rico, Please donate a toy. From the bottom of my heart and the bottom of your heart.”
The video has gone viral and inspired so many that even the NBA sent more than 20 boxes of toys and merchandise. They spoke to Univision, ABC News, and others, which helped spread the word so much that they surpassed their goal and are planning to go to Puerto Rico to personally deliver the toys to the kids.
Besides the many toys they have gathered, the family also raised more than $6000 through GoFundMe from people who couldn’t make it to their house. That amount will also be used to buy more toys for the Puerto Rican children.
The family will go to Puerto Rico on January 4th and spend four days there to coincide with the Day of the Three Wise Men – 3 Reyes Magos – a Latino holiday during which children receive gifts.
Jayden is happy that his wish of helping Puerto Rico is coming true. He has inspired so many people, demonstrating that humanity can do great things.
This article was inspired by HuffPost // 8-Year-Old Boy Collects Over 1,000 Toys For Kids In Puerto Rico