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Young kids pay it forward to a heart healthy cause

Posted at 11:35 PM, Feb 26, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-27 00:05:28-05

GRANDVILLE, Mich. – Two elementary school children from Grandville are selling their own toys and making bracelets to raise money for the National Heart Association.

Lucas Verstrate, 7, and his 9-year-old sister, Klea, wanted to do something special for Heart Awareness Month. Their actions are surprising many, even their parents.

"They were trying to come up with ways to raise more money,” says Mike Verstrate, the children’s dad, "and I was like, 'Hey, maybe you can sell some of your Christmas toys.' And they were like, 'Oh, that is a great idea, Dad.' And I was like, 'Wow, okay.'"

Lucas collected his own toys to raise money while Klea made bracelets and sold them at their grandmther’s pizza shop in Hudsonville.

"Almost every day, I came home from school, and I tried to work on the bracelets until my mom called me to go to dinner,” says Klea. “And then I'd eat dinner and go back to it."

Word of their actions spread, and people even made donations. Altogether, they raised $300.

"They're all about helping,” says Xhuljeta Verstrate, the children’s mom, "and that makes me very, very, very proud of them."

The Verstrate family says they hope this will inspire others to do similar acts of kindness. They’re planning on raising even more money next year.