GALION, Ohio – Dylan Britt thought of a better idea when his mom instructed him to pick up his toys in his room. The 9-year-old suggested selling them in a garage sale to raise money for children in the hospital instead.
Moved by this idea, his parents, Jodie and Shawn Britt, along with his two siblings, Courtney and Brandon, encouraged Dylan to make a goal and to stick with it. They also helped him organize the garage sale.
The sale raised money to buy even more toys, which he planned to give to chronically ill children. His goal was to earn $100, but the young philanthropist raised $175.
“When I found out I got more money, I thought, ‘Yay! I can buy more toys.’ [$175] can buy a lot of toys. I wore a Santa hat to the store. I was basically being Santa for the day,” said Dylan.
The garage sale took place in August, but Dylan waited until November to buy the toys that he would later donate to the Galion Children’s Hospital. He bought a total of 37 toys at Walmart. He then took them to the hospital where the employees distributed them. Because of hospital protocol, Dylan could not disburse the gifts himself.
Although he couldn’t actually see it, he pictured the children’s smiles when getting their gifts. “I just imagined that when they got the toys they had a big smile on their faces,” he said.
“We’ve always told our children that we may not have much, but other people don’t have anything,” said his mom, Jodie Britt.
Dylan’s parents spent three days in the Ronald McDonald House when Dylan was less than a week old. Because of a calcium deficiency, Dylan experienced seizures. Jodie Britt remembered those days as a scary time for the family.
“We’ve sort of experienced what families go through first hand. We always told him about that. I think it’s really stuck with his dad and I,” said Jodie Britt.
It stuck with Dylan, too. He said hearing that story while growing up inspired him to give back to the children who might not have the privilege to play with a toy during their stay in the hospital.
Dylan and his family are already planning this year’s donation. They keep a jar of change in the kitchen in which they periodically deposit money. It serves the family as a reminder of the children in the hospital and as motivation for this year’s donation.
“I want to do the same thing this year but with more money and more toys,” said Dylan.
“We’ve always told our children that we may not have much, but other people don’t have anything,” said his mom, Jodie Britt.
