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Jayden Perez, an 8-year-old boy, became a worldwide sensation overnight after his admirable Christmas deed in 2018 blew up the internet. Perez, who is from New Jersey amassed over 1,000 toys with hopes of gifting them to children from Puerto Rico – which was hit hard by Hurricane Maria.
He initially approached his mother, Ana Rosado, about the idea. She was eager to support him in any way possible and suggested a toy drive which went on to be extremely successful.
Donation efforts received increased publicity when Rosado took to Facebook with a video that included a heartfelt message from Perez saying, “Kids lost a lot of their toys and now they don’t have any, can you donate one toy from the bottom of my heart and from the bottom of your heart, can you really donate? Because I know I did,” followed by a gesture towards a table brimming with toys waiting to be donated.
The drive proved to be more successful than envisioned, exceeding everyone’s expectations. Over 1,000 toys were collected through many calls and donations for the cause. After seeing Jayden’s viral video, NBA manager Brandon Eddy went on to donate 11 boxes of toys.
Similarly, a man from Pennsylvania contacted Jayden’s mother to hand over a trailer full of toys donated from his local community. The mother and son duo flew to Puerto Rico to give the donated toys to the children. After all, the toys were an escape from reality for children during those hard times. En route, they stopped by an orphanage that contacted Tosado seeking their help.
The journey was Jayden’s first visit to Puerto Rico and one to remember for decades to come. Jayden’s hard work put a smile on thousands of children and is an exemplary example of how a simple gesture can go a long way.
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A Feminist at Five
Oozing innocence and cuteness, kids, cats, and dogs have long dominated the world of viral internet videos. The latest clip being shared across social media shows a young girl giving her adorably insightful views on equal rights for men and women. Channel 4’s The Secret Life of 5-Year-Olds lifts the lid on playground antics and documents the interactions between children at school. During one episode, comments about girls made by one of the young boys caused a stir.
Little Eva was quick to defend her fellow woman and give her take on gender equality. Despite her age, the young girl showed wisdom beyond her years. Championing women's suffrage, she spoke about the sacrifices made by the suffragettes and stressed the importance of both working and voting for girls when they grow up. Eva was adamant that boys and girls are the same and that jobs and hobbies should be for both genders equally. After fellow youngster Jude expressed his view that women can’t be scientists, Eva was quick to highlight her own scientific accomplishments, telling the crew how she once extracted DNA from a banana.
To show just how competent girls are, Eva decided to demonstrate some of her impressive Karate skills, showing Judge a thing or two. The professionals analyzing her behavior were extremely impressed with her competency as a teacher, noting that her teaching capacities exceeded her age. The two-child psychologist also concluded that despite his sexist comments, Eva made a lasting impression on young Jude, with him eventually admitting that she is “tough and strong like the Hulk.”
Eva encapsulates what it means to be a true feminist. Standing up to Jude’s after his inconsiderate remarks, the youngster showed just how independent, resolute, and determined young girls can be. There’s no doubt the suffragettes would be extremely proud of Eva’s actions.
