Saturday December 13, 2008, 9:25 am
HERE IS THE STORY:

WINDOW ROCK — A 4-year-old boy from Tuba City has made a generous donation to help others have a merry Christmas.

While most kids are making their wish lists for the holidays, Casey Draper decided to sell all his toys and donate the money to the Toys for Tots program on the Navajo Nation.

In a telephone interview, Casey said he sold his toys to give money to Santa.

Casey is donating $179.50 to the Toys for Tots program, and the Navajo Police officers are grateful for any donation that comes to the program.

Ophelia Begay, senior corrections officer and volunteer with the Toys for Tots program on Navajo for 18 years, said this was the first time she heard of a young boy selling his toys to donate to the program.

“If we receive the money, most likely we will use it to get more toys,” she said.

The story began when Draper and his mother Myra were cleaning his play room to get ready for Christmas.

“His birthday comes in February so I told him you have to get rid of some of these toys,” Myra said.

“It just got so much where you could barely see,” she said about Casey’s collection of toys.

“I told him we’re just going to take all these toys out to the flea market and whatever money we get from that you can buy yourself a special Christmas gift,” she said.

Draper began making a list to buy presents for family members with the money he would get from selling off his toys.

That changed on the night of Dec. 3 when he saw a Toys for Tots commercial on television.

“He said, ‘Mom why don’t I just give all my toys to them?’”
Myra, who used to work with the program years ago, explained to her son that Toys for Tots only accepts brand new, unused toys and he couldn’t donate his toys.

Apparently, the young boy did not forget the commercial.

A few days later, on Friday morning, they started loading up the truck with the toys to sell at the flea market.

After he brushed his teeth, Casey had a suggestion for what to do with the money from his toy sale.

“He said, ‘Mom I have a great idea,’ and then I said, ‘What is that?’ And then he said ‘Why don’t we unsell all my toys and we can ungive the money to Santa so he can ungive all these kids some toys,’” Myra said. He is at a stage where he includes “un” before some words, she said.

“I didn’t think anything like that would cross a little 4-year-old’s mind,” she said.

They then went to the flea market to sell the toys.

“We were still unloading the truck and people just flocked,” she said.

Within two hours nearly all the toys — including dump trucks and art easels — were gone.

Over the weekend, the family went to Tucson and Myra thought her son might have changed his mind about donating the money but that didn’t happen.

“He said, ‘Where can we get the address to the North Pole?’” she said laughing.

“He made a list of all the people he wanted to buy presents for and instead of that, in his mind he thought, ‘Well there’s people out there that can’t have Christmas or don’t have Christmas,’” Myra said. “It practically brought tears to my eyes when he brought that up. I thought how in the world did he know? I couldn’t believe someone his age would think of doing something like that.”

Wanting to keep the money on the reservation, Myra contacted the Navajo Nation Toys for Tots and explained what her son wanted to do. She got the proper address to send a cashier’s check, which she planned to do Wednesday.

“My husband and I we were really surprised,” Myra said about her reaction to her son’s wish to donate money.

But giving has been a family tradition, she said. Her mother used to hold a dinner for disadvantaged families for the holidays. Her oldest son volunteers at a soup kitchen.

“We try to encourage that with our kids,” Myra said.

Saturday December 13, 2008, 9:38 am
As Charlie Brown said, Christmas has become too commercial.I'm glad there are still people in this crazy,excessive world who still know its true meaning.Inspiring little story and a tiny glimmer of hope for the future. Thanks.

Saturday December 13, 2008, 9:51 am
Oh what a lovely story of a four year old. I just cannot imagine how the little kids generous mind might have worked. May God bless the child and may he grow up to be a loving and caring human being. Thanks Kat for this beautiful story. I just admire the child and wish we could send our thanks as an encouragement and appreciation for his kind deed. Noted!

Saturday December 13, 2008, 10:32 am
What a precious little soul !

Saturday December 13, 2008, 12:52 pm
Aren't kids great! Sometimes I'm amazed at how giving they can be. Perhaps Duhbya could take a lesson along with every other governmental person, entity etc. Goodness is where you look for it.
Great story Kat, Tks.

Saturday December 13, 2008, 5:34 pm
What a blessed child and story!!!!!!!!!!
One distitute year, my youngest son said to me: "Mommy, I'd be happy if you just get my present from the quarter machine." He was about 5 or 6 years old. Of course, that was a keeper moment for me~

Saturday December 13, 2008, 6:44 pm
That is too sweet! Imagine how great the world would be if more people, of all ages, were that giving and unselfish. Oh, what a wonderful world that would be!

Saturday December 13, 2008, 7:38 pm
If each one of us would be as unselfish as that child what a better world it would be.

Saturday December 13, 2008, 9:02 pm
What a unselfish child. The world would be better if more people were as this child

Saturday December 13, 2008, 9:57 pm
THIS CHILD HAS THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, IF ONLY THE ADULTS HAD IT MORE, WE ALWAYS LEARN FROM CHILDREN & THIS CHILD WAS TAUGHT TO SHARE & GIVE, GREAT STORY.....

Sunday December 14, 2008, 1:12 pm
I hope this could be true, and not just a mother wanting to get her name in the news.

Tuesday December 16, 2008, 3:54 am
What a sweet and unselfish little boy. Thanks for this heartwarming story Kat.