Reece and friends raise over $3,000

The last thing most 9-year-olds are spending time on at Christmas is holding grueling fundraisers so other kids can get toys. Instead of dreaming of the list of toys Santa was about to drop around her Christmas tree, little Reece Walsh and her classmates from Tuscany Hills Elementary raised $3,052 for the non-profit organization Cops for Kids.

After weeks of fundraising and getting the word out about her cause, Reece and her friends handed over the donation to Canyon Lake Deputy Paul Verostek outside of Canyon Lake City Hall Sunday.

Photo by Ariana Shah

Reece, whose family lives in Canyon Lake, organized the fundraiser after she received a reward for returning an expensive drone she found to its owner. She made a $100 donation from her reward to somebody asking for money to help those during the pandemic. She had caught the philanthropic bug. From there, the idea to raise money for the Cops for Kids was born.

Her campaign, which she named “Fill a Stocking, Fill a Heart,” involved her school, where she solicited friends to help. They put up posters throughout the community and held multiple collection events at the Country Club where tables were set up and donations requested.

Reece had set a goal of $5,000, so she has extended the deadline until Dec. 31. Donations are still being accepted online at copsforkidsinc.org under “Events.” For her fundraiser to get credit for the donation, it is important to click on Reece’s campaign, ‘“Fill a Stocking, Fill a Heart.”

The money from her campaign will assist children, seniors and families in need.