14-year-old boy spreads holiday magic to kids with toy drive

Courtesy photo. (Krista Pentz)

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Teddy Pentz said he’s had one motivation in an effort to bring some holiday joy to kids.

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“It feels good knowing I have a small part in their Christmas magic,” Pentz said. “It’s the greatest feeling.”

For the last three years, Pentz, a 14-year-old boy from Eustis, Florida, has conducted what’s become known as “Teddy’s Giant Heart Project.”

It’s a toy collection drive to bring kids at Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital not only toys, but smiles and Christmas cheer.

This year, Pentz hoped to collect 100 toys for the drive, but didn’t end up exactly meeting that goal.

Instead, he blew way past it.

Pentz and his mother Krista said 241 toys were collected for this year’s drive from the community through an Amazon wishlist, or people shopping for toys in person and then donating them.

The toys were dropped off to the kids at the hospital on Dec. 16.

“We filled this big green bin three times with the 16 boxes (of 241 toys) we delivered,” Krista Pentz said.

Courtesy photo. (Krista Pentz)

No doubt, it was more Christmas “magic” spread, and Teddy Pentz plans on making it an annual tradition.

“He is already looking forward to next year,” Krista Pentz said.

This story was sent to us on our Something Good website. If you have any stories of good news to share, submit them to somethinggood.show.

In addition to Teddy Pentz, below is a profile on an organization in Hamburg, Michigan called Bennett’s Beavers, which makes wooden toys for pediatric hospital patients and their families.

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About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.