This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

7-Year-Old Canton Boy Makes Christmas Possible for Needy Family

Bradley Thomas has raised $300 to help a family for Christmas.

Seven-year-old Bradley Thomas isn’t thinking about what he wants this year for Christmas. Instead, he’s thinking about how he can help others.

Since September, Bradley, who lives in Canton, has been working to raise money to provide Christmas for a family who lost their home to a fire earlier this year. His original goal was to raise $100, and now his fundraising has reached $300.

“I wanted to help a needy family for Christmas because they had nothing,” Bradley said. “It makes me feel proud.”

Find out what's happening in Canton-Sixeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This idea first started when Bradley’s Taekwondo teacher at gave students a challenge in September to set a goal to do something for someone else and to accomplish that goal. His mother, Christie Thomas, said that she and her husband thought hard to come up with an idea but that it was Bradley who chose to do chores for people in the community as a way to raise money to help this family, whom his family knows. Both parents currently are unemployed, and the family is living in a motel. The father has Crohn’s disease, one daughter has Cerebral Palsy and a son has Asperger’s Syndrome.

“The dad is very sick, so I just thought I could help them,” Bradley said.

Find out what's happening in Canton-Sixeswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

By the end of September, Bradley had raised $75 and was ready to keep going. In addition to doing yard work and working at business’ owned by friends of his parents, he also asked members of his church to donate.

“Several people asked how they could help and gave him money for donations,” Christie Thomas said. “He seems to be enjoying it. So far, he hasn’t turned down any jobs anyone’s given him.”

This was an opportunity to show Bradley that doing something good can be contagious, Thomas said.

“I’m really proud of him that he would look beyond what he wants for Christmas,” she said. “Every year, we focus on how to teach him that there are people who aren’t getting as much. We want him to know that there’s more to it than just I want, I want, I want. I was really proud of him when he came up to us with this idea. It clicked with him. He knows there are people that really need thins for Christmas and not just the newest game.”

And, Bradley’s cause has reached outside of Georgia. Thomas said her family has received e-mails from people as far away as California and Mexico asking how they can make a donation.

“We were astonished,” Thomas said. “It’s amazing to us, but in a way, it’s a blessing. All you hear is the bad news, but there are a lot of people out there willing to help. Bradley has been really excited. We’ve read him all the emails. He’s been excited as we try to explain that one act of kindness can encourage people.”

And, after Christmas, Bradley plans to continue his fundraising efforts to help others who are in need. The Thomas’ have set up a fund at Wells Fargo bank called Team Bradley, and donations to the fund can be made at any Wells Fargo branch. And, those who have items such as clothing or toiletries to donate can email dewayne_1980@hotmail.com.

Thomas said she plans to take Bradley shopping in mid-December and that Santa will deliver the presents to the family.

“We’re really excited about it,” she said. “It started as just a little project. It’s been amazing to see how people care and respond.”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?