The 'Good Boys' of Lucan, Ont. save Christmas
They say it takes one good idea to change the world.
And for nine-year-old Porter Huffman of Lucan that idea came early in life.
It began on a Sunday afternoon four years ago, when the six-year-old pondered a question in his mind.
“I just wanted kids to feel the exact same way on Christmas as I do.”
A sweet thought, no question, but just how would this young boy make his concept a reality?
Thankfully, the idea came when he found a stack of old Canadian Tire money.
He showed it to his mom, Jen Noble.
“He had found some in our couch cushion actually, and said, ‘Hey, I’d like to collect some of this and help some kids in the area.’”
Porter Huffman’s mother, Jen Noble, speaks in Lucan, Ont. on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)
Four years later, Porter has made a big difference.
What started with promotional money and credit has extended to include a bottle drive that has raised well over $2,000.
All the funds go towards buying toys for other kids in need through the Ailsa Craig Food and Toy Drive.
The success is thanks, in part, to his friend Colton Lawrence.
Colton, nine, was drafted to help from the start.
“I remember in kindergarten. We were friends and he just wanted me to help,” he says.
The very young pair managed to raise $300 in the first year, with the goal steadily rising since. Community support has helped.
“I’m trying not to cry, but it’s been four years of being really, really, proud of them,” Noble says of her son and his friend.
Colton says he and Porter plan to primarily buy for children and teens older than them both this year. The 11-16 age group is often overlooked during larger toy drives.
“We can’t get all the toys for the boys, and we can’t get all the toys for the girls, so we have to think it through.”
After all, thinking it is what started it all.
“I recognize that we’re doing a really good thing and it is going to help other kids,” says Colton.
Kids they may, unknowingly, go to school with.
A fact that warms Noble’s heart.
“And Porter and Colton will often say, ‘Who do you think these kids are? And what do you think they look like when they open these gifts?’ You can only hope they have a Christmas that brings a smile to their face.”
And with help from the boys who will soon grow into men, that is sure to keep happening.
Just ask Porter.
“That’s what I want to do when I grow up. I want to help other people.”
Bottle donations have closed, but If you’d like to help the boys' effort through donations of old Canadian Tire money or in another way you can contact their parents through their newly created Facebook page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
Poilievre unrepentant over calling Trudeau 'wacko' as his MPs say Speaker should resign
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh confirms his party will support the Liberals' federal budget
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says his party will support the federal budget, ending any speculation that the party could pull out of its deal with the minority Liberal government.
Dental care program accepting claims for 1 million seniors
Citizens' Services Minister Terry Beech says 1,200 seniors have already visited a dentist and had their claims processed by the federal government's new dental care plan.