Kenosha boy donates over 1,600 of stuffed animals for his birthday
KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS58) -- For a child's birthday, what typically comes to mind is cake, games, and certainly a table full of presents. But one Kenosha boy decided that all he wanted for his birthday was to give back to others.
For Hunter Peterson's birthday for the last six years, instead of receiving stuffed animals, he gives them back instead. "I love my stuffed animals, all kids love stuffed animals. I told my mom 'how about we do this? And she said okay I’ll see what I can do!" shared Hunter.
The pandemic forced Hunter to cancel one of his birthday parties growing up, which is when his birthday switched gears. "About 6 years ago, we received a phone call that a young boy, for his birthday, wanted to collect stuffed animals, give them to the police department to give them to kids that maybe don't have that in their house," shared Kenosha Police Department officer Tyler Cochran. He and Hunter have been on this journey for half of Hunter's life!
"It's pretty amazing, it really is. In this day and age, seeing someone so young, really just seeing the big picture and putting themselves second, putting everybody else first, the kids that actually need this, that’s huge for a kid to do that," said Officer Cochran.
Hunter told us he got the idea of gifting stuffed animals when he saw a child lose his stuffed animal in a house fire. Hunter's parents, he said, went looking for one just like it: "my parents looked for a month or two for it all over ... and they found it. I was with my mom and dad when they dropped it off, and it inspired me to do this."
Now, those stuffed animals head towards the Kenosha Police Department to hand out at their community events and when officers respond to calls. "Kids light up right away. You give them a teddy bear, you see a huge smile on their face. I've had kids that have come up and say 'three years ago an officer gave me a teddy bear, I still cherish it,'" shared Officer Cochran. "I think it makes them excited, joyful, and forget what happened," continued Hunter.
Year after year, word got out about "Hunter Lee's Hero's" campaign, and donations poured in from all over the community. "The first years it was only rowing by 100. But then it got to 1,000 then 1,200 then 1,600 this year" said Hunter. It was 1,639 stuffed animals to be exact!
"It makes me feel amazing, it makes me feel like a hero," said Hunter.
Officer Cochran said gifting stuffed animals helps kids in the community and the generations to come. "That’s our future, right? The youth in our community, that’s the future of our community, and we want to start that relationship young. We want them to know that when they have a problem, be ok with calling the police, know the officer responding to the call. Hopefully that’s not their first time they’re meeting them, hopefully when they met before they’re on good terms, right?"
While 12-year-old Hunter grows up, so too does his outlook on life. While he used to take one stuffed animal each year, he doesn't do it anymore because "other people deserve it."
Those interested in helping next May can do so by contacting the Kenosha Police Department's Safety Center through their non-emergency number: 653-412-0262.