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Henley Castilon, the Tennessee five year old who’s collecting stuffed animals for children impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Photo:
Courtesy of Jennifer Castilon
Like most of us who have witnessed the destruction wrought by
Hurricane Helene
this week, Henley Castilon, a five-year-old in
Hendersonville
, Tennessee, just wanted to help.
“Henley immediately said, ‘Mom, what about all of their toys and their stuffed animals, their favorite stuffies, they’re going to be so sad?’” her mother Jennifer told
WKRN
. She gathered up around 30 of her own toys to share with the storm’s youngest victims—and then inspired others to do the same.
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Courtesy of Jennifer Castilon
A Facebook group for Hendersonville moms caught wind of Henley’s efforts, and donations came pouring in, with people dropping off “bags and bags” of the stuffed animals, said Jennifer, who’s working with area businesses and churches to facilitate more drop-off locations.
“We are going to continue this as long as people are willing to donate, and people have actually monetarily given to [the cause] and so Henley was able to go herself and purchase,” she said. “We have probably bought hundreds of the little stuffies and dogs and stuff out of all the local stores in Hendersonville.”
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Courtesy of Jennifer Castilon
As of today, she’s gathered about 900 stuffed animals total, wrote Jennifer in a message to
Southern Living.
« [We have] donations coming in from Florida where the hurricanes happened, which was incredibly heartbreaking and meaningful. I was told today that someone drove an hour and a half to the local vet [one of the designated drop-off sites] to donate on her behalf. Tomorrow, she will again be able to go out and buy another 75 stuffies with the monetary donations she has received, and those will be leaving on a truck Monday afternoon. »
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Courtsey of Jennifer Castilon
There’s another reason Henley’s efforts make Jennifer especially proud. “Henley was diagnosed with autism a couple years ago, » she told WKRN. « And so you know, with children with disabilities, you always hope for the stars for them. And you know she was not able to really communicate a couple years ago. And so the fact that this little, glittery five year old is able to take the initiative on her, you know, on her own—it’s joyful to see.”