GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The 13 ON YOUR SIDE School Spirit Challenge, which challenges students to collect donations for Toys for Tots each year, got a big boost Monday night thanks to one 8-year-old girl.
Finleigh Barnick stopped by the 13 ON YOUR SIDE studio to drop off 60 toys she purchased with money from a can drive.
Finleigh and her family have been holding the annual can drive to raise money for Toys for Tots for the past seven years. This year, they raised $400.
She says most of those donations were from family and friends, but some came in from out-of-state thanks to social media.
She's thankful so many people wanted to help.
"It feels great because it feels like I'm making kids happy all around the world because they get toys," Finleigh said Monday while dropping off the toys.
Finleigh already has a goal for next year—trying to raise $1,000. She said the annual tradition is important to her family.
"We think that nobody should be left out and everyone should have toys," she said.
On Wednesday morning, students from dozens of West Michigan schools will be dropping off thousands of toys at 13 ON YOUR SIDE as the grand finale of the School Spirit Challenge.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.