ELLSWORTH (NEWS CENTER Maine) — Eleven-year-old Kyle Kenny of Ellsworth has spent the past year raising money to honor veterans with wreaths at their graves this holiday season.
His mission started a year ago when the Kenny family was visiting the grave of Kyle's grandfather at Woodbine Cemetery in Ellsworth.
"He walked through the cemetery and we laid the wreath at his grandfather's site, and then he looked around and noticed there were many veterans who didn't have wreaths and he said then and there he was going to raise $300," his mother, Katie Kenny, remembers.
For the next year, Kyle put on various fundraisers at his parents business, Jordan's Snack Bar.
"We did an Easter bunny 50/50 raffle, and we put a donation jar in front of Jordan's Snack Bar," Kyle says.
His mother says he did all of the work on his own. "He came up with the ideas and he did the work behind it."
Now, a year later, Kyle has raised $2,010, far exceeding his initial goal of $300.
With that money, he is sponsoring 201 wreaths at Woodbine Cemetery through Wreaths Across America.
Unfortunately, that is still not enough for all of the veterans' graves at Woodbine Cemetery, but Kyle says that is only motivating him to fundraise even more next year.