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
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.