EJ Hersom/Staff photographer Tae Kwon Do black belt candidate Matthew Stiles, 7, strikes a martial arts poseTuesday with the toys he collected for the Dover Fire Department's annual toy drive.
Article published Oct 7, 2009
7-year-old Dover boy spends summer collecting toys for needy
DOVER — It wasn't a typical summer for 7-year-old Matthew Stiles.
While many of his peers were thinking about going to the beach or playing sports, Stiles was thinking toys, toys and more toys.
And the toys weren't even for him.
Stiles is a student at Matt Randall's Black Belt Academy and is seeking his black belt in Tae Kwon Do. As part of the black belt process, Stiles did a community service project where he collected toys for the Dover Fire Department's annual toy bank.
On Tuesday the department reaped the benefits of Stiles' hard work, as he presented the bank with 257 toys.
"Something like this certainly helps to jump start our efforts," said retired Capt. Dave McLean, who has organized the toy drive for several years.
Stiles said there were several community service projects he could have done, but said he was focused on helping other kids not as fortunate as him have a good Christmas.
"I thought people would be happier to have more than one or two or no toys," he said.
Stiles said he started his toy drive in the summer so he could collect some "summer toys," such as Wiffleball equipment and toy water slides.
"I didn't want there to be just winter toys," he said.
Stiles placed drop-off boxes at five locations across the city, including at a few grocery stores, Matt Randall's Black Belt Academy and the Garrison School, where Stiles is a second-grader.
He attached a note to each box explaining his project and why he was doing it. Stiles and his parents, Patti and Howard, originally set a modest goal for the amount of toys to collect.
"My goal was 100, then we started to get 150, then we collected 50 Wiffleball bats and then we got more," he said.
Stiles attributes the success to people's generosity and said he feels good to help with a noble cause.
"They're going to be very, very happy," he said of the kids, "and that makes me feel happy."
Patti said she was impressed her son took on such a lofty project.
"When he went with toys and explained to us why, it filled our hearts with joy that he would do this and think of other kids," she said. "He's a very special boy."
Howard added, "We're very proud."
Firefighter Dale Spainhower, who also runs the toy drive, said he hopes Stiles' donation sets a tone for this year's toy drive.
"I thought that it was great for a 7-year-old to do this and think of other kids in need," he said.
The need for toys this year is expected to be equal or greater than last year, according to McLean.
Firefighters are now accepting donations for the annual toy drive and those interested in donating can drop off toys at any of the city's three stations.
Beyond the community service project, Stiles still has several physical and mental challenges awaiting him before he can earn his black belt. He has been participating in Tae Kwon Do for 31⁄2 and has excelled at it in that period, his mother said.
"He use to be very shy and it really helped to build his confidence," she said.
Stiles will go for his black belt in December.
