Eight-year-old Greyson Brooks decided to commemorate his late brother by donating school supplies to his community. His brother Wyatt tragically died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at four months old in 2017. The kindhearted third grader misses Wyatt dearly and doesn’t want anyone to forget him.
Destiny Hayes, Greyson and Wyatt’s mom, told TODAY that Greyson began carrying a photo of his brother after he passed away. At the time, Greyson was only three years old and couldn’t understand what had happened to his brother. He always asked his mom where Wyatt had gone and when he’d return.
“Wyatt was just this super duper sweet baby,” the 33-year-old said.
Hayes revealed that helping Greyson prepare for a new school year felt bittersweet. As she filled his backpack with school supplies, Hayes remembered that Wyatt would’ve started kindergarten this year. A wave of sadness overcame her as she envisioned Greyson and Wyatt riding the bus together for the first time.
“I never got to hear Wyatt say, ‘Mama,’ and I wonder what he would look like now,” Hayes said. “I have a nephew who was born a few weeks after Wyatt, and every time he hits a different milestone, it brings up feelings.”
However, Greyson proposed a heartwarming idea to honor his later brother while cheering his mom up. In July 2022, the sweet third-grader delivered $350 worth of school supplies to Estes Elementary School in Owensboro, Kentucky. He requested that the crayons, markers, and writing paper go to kindergarten students since Wyatt would’ve been in that grade had he not passed away from SIDS.
“I did it for my brother who passed away at four months old,” Greyson told Messenger-Inquirer. “I wanted to donate the supplies to help the whole school.”
8-Year-Old Donates School Supplies to Honor His Late Brother
With his parents’ help, Greyson launched a Facebook fundraiser to collect donations of school supplies.
“It makes me really, really happy,” the young boy said. “I’ve been thinking about it, and then I got the idea and told it to my mom, and then we did it. We brought lots of paper, crayons, erasers, and more stuff.”
Greyson plans on continuing to help his classmates and their families by donating more school supplies. His mom said she felt proud of Greyson for having such a huge heart.
“He’s a super-duper sweet kid, and we’re just proud he wants to help everybody,” Hayes said about Greyson. “He’s only 8, but he knows there are people out there struggling.”
While Hayes is still grieving from losing Wyatt, Greyson and her 3-year-old daughter Hazel help ease the pain. She fully supports Greyson’s decision to keep donating supplies in honor of Wyatt.
“Nobody likes losing a baby, but if it’s something we can continue to do in his name, we would absolutely want to keep doing this,” she said.
Hayes revealed that at the store, Greyson scoured every aisle to pick out school supplies he thought Wyatt would like. He believed his brother, who he lovingly called Bubba, would approve of his selections.
“I’m so proud of him. He went and picked out all the stuff himself,” Hayes shared. “Any time he’s doing something fun, he’ll say, ‘Bubba would like this.’”
Greyson feels that Wyatt is smiling down on him from heaven and keeping watch over the family.
Ryan Williams, principal of Estes Elementary School, commended Greyson for donating school supplies to the community. “He has a big heart,” Williams said, “and we need more people like him in this world.”
We don’t doubt that people will remember Greyson’s act of kindness for years down the road. Thankfully, other generous souls who strive to help others like Greyson exist in this world. When a beloved teacher in Georgia asked for school supplies at her funeral, thousands of people helped fulfill her dying wish.
Mourners Brought School Supplies to Teacher’s Funeral
When cherished teacher Tammy Waddell passed away, people decided to honor her uniquely. As her dying wish, Tammy requested that people bring school supplies to the funeral for needy children. Her cousin described her as a “teacher to the end,” going the extra mile to help students succeed.
Waddell taught at elementary schools in Forsyth County, Georgia, for 30 years. In 2003, the school district commemorated her as the county elementary school teacher of the year. She passed away at age 58 following a long battle with colon cancer.
Her son, Kevin Waddell, said his mother’s request for school supplies at her funeral didn’t surprise him. She always put others first and continued to do so even in death.
Her obituary revealed that mourners should donate to Project Connect to honor Tammy’s last wish. The organization provides backpacks and school supplies for children in need.
When people heard about Tammy’s request, they quickly gathered the supplies to donate. Tammy’s cousin and fellow teacher Brad Johnson photographed numerous backpacks lining the church pews at her funeral. Altogether, mourners donated about 130 school bags stuffed with various school supplies.
Paul Holbrook, a spokesperson for the funeral home, estimates the backpacks contained six months’ worth of supplies. They included notebooks, pencils, sharpeners, markers, binders, and other essential items.
Nearly a hundred of Waddell’s colleagues attended the funeral and gathered the backpacks for needy students. They delivered them to schools in the area later on. Brad described the experience as “heartwarming” in an interview with CNN.
Final Thoughts on Third Grader Donating School Supplies to Honor His Late Brother Who Passed From SIDS
Greyson Brooks, an 8-year-old from Kentucky, wanted to do something in memory of his late brother. Sadly, his brother Wyatt passed away from SIDS at four months old. The brothers would’ve ridden the school bus together for the first time this year.
Wyatt would’ve been starting kindergarten, so Greyson decided to honor him by donating supplies to the school. He collected around $350 for the school supplies, which he delivered to Estes Elementary School.
The kind gesture touched his mom’s heart as she still grieved the loss of her son to SIDS. While Greyson can’t bring Wyatt back, he knows his brother’s spirit lives on in them.
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