MILWAUKEE, WI (WISN/CNN) - It’s a record-setting year for Cody Strumble’s toy drive. He’s collected nearly 1,200 gifts. His goal was to get 800 toys.
“LEGOs, cars, matchboxes, Hotwheels, Barbie dolls, puzzles,” Cody says, listing just a fraction of the toys that he collected to donate to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. Boxes of the toys fill Zarate’s Auto Sales in Caledonia.
The second-grader came up with the idea to collect toys for the kids at the hospital, who can’t go home for the holidays.
“They might be sad one second that they didn’t get any toys, but then - they got toys!” Cody said.
After loading a bunch of toys, Cody sat back with his teddy bear and admitted he was tired.
“Yeah, ‘cause I’ve been doing a lot of work,” he said.
But it’s the best kind of work, and his family is proud.
“I’ll help him,” said his mom, Sonia Ericksen. “I’ll help him all the way."
Cody’s older sister said she’s amazed at what he’s done.
“I cried when I heard that we got over a thousand,” she said.
His acts of kindness aren’t going unnoticed. Cody received a special present - an autographed football helmet from Green Bay Packers Clay Matthews and Aaron Rodgers. He loves it, and he has a message for people who helped him reach his goal.
“Thank you, and I wish them a Merry Christmas,” Cody said.
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