ELYSBURG -- While some children are looking forward to what they'll get this Christmas, a girl from Elysburg is excited to give gifts this holiday season.
The third grader is raising money for Toys for Tots for the fifth straight year, so she can buy toys for children in need.
Madi Kerstetter, 8, of Elysburg, sorts through some of the money she's raised for Toys for Tots. As of now, the total is more than $700.
Madi started raising money for Toys for Tots when she was just 3 years old.
"I saw a commercial where the Marines held the toys over their backs and I wanted to know about it," Madi said.
When her family explained what Toys for Tots was, Madi decided she wanted to raise money and buy toys. But how does a 3 year old raise money?
"We came up with the idea for the bad word jar," Madi said.
"The other kids were younger, they weren't talking nice to each other so we started that. For adults, we were held accountable for bad words," Stephanie Kerstetter said.
That first year, Madi raised $80. Last year, she raised $600 by asking friends and family for help.
"It's gotten bigger every year," Stephanie said.
Madi even got an award from Toys for Tots as a thank you. This year she wants to raise $1,000.
"I think it's fun because I'm not just thinking about myself, I'm thinking about other kids," Madi said.
"Once we started to do the shopping, we saw what an effect it had on her," Stephanie said.
Toys for Tots isn't the only organization that benefits from Madi's collection. She also uses some of the donations to buy movies for the patients at Janet Weis Children's Hospital.
"I don't want the people in the hospital not to have a lot of toys," Madi said.
Madi plans to shop on December 5.
Although most of her donations are collected in the Elysburg area, if you'd like to help Madi's cause and Toys for Tots, you can click here for her fundraising page.
