State Honoree

Courtland Cottle, 13, of Kokomo, Ind., a seventh-grader at Maple Crest Middle School, conducts a twice- yearly toy drive and collects travel-size toiletries to benefit children being treated for cancer at a local hospital and families who stay at a Ronald McDonald house while their children are hospitalized. Courtland started her "Courty Cares" toy drives in 2011 after the infant of a family friend was diagnosed with liver cancer. "When we would visit him at the hospital, all the kids there seemed so sick and sad," said Courtland. "I wanted to help make them smile. I wanted them to be able to play again." She decided that she would forego her Christmas presents so that her parents could instead buy gifts for the sick children.

Quickly, word began to spread about what she had done. Friends and family members responded by buying toys for hospitalized kids, too.  Courtland then decided to ask the community to help as well. She began soliciting donations through a Facebook page, made flyers and distributed them at school and around the community, spoke to clubs and organizations, and promoted her toy drive through local news media. Courtland also hosted a pool party at her home and asked everyone to bring a toy or toiletries for families staying at the Ronald McDonald house. In addition, she helped organize a blood drive for a friend's sick baby and requested that participants bring toys, and canvassed her neighborhood for toiletries. Courtland's collection efforts have yielded over 2,000 toys, more than 2,700 toiletry items, and $3,000 to make life a little brighter for children battling cancer. And, Courtland says, she will do it again "I will always remember the smiles the kids had when getting their new toy," she said.