9-year-old donates thousands to help other kids go to summer camp

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Friday, August 9, 2019
9-year-old donates thousands to help other kids go to summer camp
9-year-old donates thousands to help other kids go to summer camp. Beccah Hendrickson reports during Action News at 5:30 p.m. on August 7, 2019.

Kennett Square, Pennsylvania -- If you've ever wondered whether or not kids listen to the lessons we try to teach, then just listen to 9-year-old Owen Jones.



"You should try to be helpful because if you help someone when you need help, they might help you," Jones said.



He took that to heart when he saw something wrong at his lunch table at his summer camp at the YMCA in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.



"A camper's mom couldn't afford to bring that camper lunch. So me and my mom went to get that camper lunch every day," he said.



Owen didn't stop with free lunch for one friend. He wanted to make sure anyone who wanted to come to camp could come to camp. So he came up with a bigger plan.



"We were doing something called '10 for 10.' So we were asking people to donate $10 before my 10th birthday, which is September 3," he said.



With the help of the YMCA, he raised over $2,000 on his own. Then, financial planner Patti Brennan found out what he was doing and decided to match what he's raised so far. She gave him the check Wednesday while he was at camp.



"Let's make our voices louder. Let's make a difference in our community," she told him.



The community Owen wants to help is relatively small -- elementary school kids who want to go to camp. It's a place where counselors and supervisors hope to act as teachers for kids in the summer.



But if you ask Owen's mom, Jess Jones, the biggest lesson coming out of camp this summer may just be what Owen can teach everyone else.



"My heart is so happy to see how much joy he has and how much joy he brings other people," she said.



Click here if you'd like to join Owen's cause and donate.



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