8-year-old starts charity to help homeless children

MILWAUKEE — An 8-year-old started her own charity to help homeless children after learning about the social issue from her family.

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Peyton Anderson first found out about homelessness through her family, WISN reported.

“It was my uncle,” mother Leticia Anderson said. “He was homeless for a while and she started doing research. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there’s homeless children. She did her own research and was like, ‘I have to find a way to help.’”

So she did.

Peyton formed Eye of a Child and started selling T-shirts and crayons with the proceeds benefiting shelters housing children and their families.

“I learned there were also homeless children, more than 2.5 million children. Children that are just like me that are homeless,” Peyton said. “I was like, yeah, no, that’s not happening.”

She recently donated $500 to Joy House, a women’s shelter in Milwaukee. For her birthday and at Christmas, she asked for toy donations to the shelter instead of gifts as well.

“To have someone so young, excited to be giving to individuals that are less fortunate than she is is awesome. I’m hoping that it can be something that spreads,” Aurelia Brown, director of the shelter, told WISN. “The money will go towards several things. Meals, birthday parties, toys, any of the needs that the families might have.”

Peyton said she next plans to raise $1,000 for another women’s shelter.

Cox Media Group