INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana— A 10-year-old boy has taken it upon himself to make the holidays a little happier for kids in need.
It all started with a $20 bill that Zander Hite got back in February. It was a gift from his Grandpa Darl, and it came with a message: "make a difference."
That's exactly what Zander's doing.
“You’d be surprised what some people can come up with with just $20,” Darl said.
Zander used the $20 to buy two slabs of wood to build toy cars. His grandpa taught him how in his garage.
“I played with them when I was little,” he said. “And I thought they were fun to play with.”
At first he built just one. Now, the 10-year-old is hooked. “It turned out to be really fun. And now I keep on making more,” Zander said.
With just five weeks until Christmas, Grandpa's garage looks more like Santa's workshop. Zander's spent the past nine months building cars and trucks: 250 wooden toys in all.
He and his grandpa will donate the toys to a local "holiday toy drive," to help make Christmas a little bright for 250 kids.
Zander loves his new hobby so much he joined Central Indiana Woodworkers club, where his grandfather has belonged for years.
“At the wood club I’m the youngest kid there,” Zander said.
The organization gave him the wooden wheels for the cars and the engine to deliver these toys to kids in need. The Central Indiana Woodworkers donate thousands of cars and trucks every year, but never ones built by a ten-year-old.
Through the group, Zander and his grandpa have carved out lifelong memories.
“We laugh a lot. We have fun. I like spending time with him,” said Zander about the months he spent with grandpa.
When asked "what's next?" Zander says he's waiting to see how much money his grandpa will give him next February.
