Ages: 8 and 6   
Hometown: Saratoga Springs    
School:  Malta Montessori
Community Involvement: C.R. Wood Cancer Center

When you ask most kids what they want for their birthday, you hear about toys, games, and the latest gadgets. But 8-year-old Christopher and 6-year-old Nicholas are a little different—they don’t ask for presents. Instead, they request gas gift cards to donate to the cancer patients of the C.R. Wood Cancer Center in Glens Falls.

The goal of the brothers is simple: to help patients get to their treatments and doctors’ appointments. After all, one of the biggest barriers to receiving care is transportation or, rather, being unable to afford the gas it takes to get there.

The boys don’t just wait until their birthdays to make change, though. Year-round, they collect bottles and use the funds from the returns to purchase Stewart’s gas cards for patients themselves.

“I like to help people in need,” Christopher says. “Everyone should help others!”

His brother echoes his sentiment: “I like to help patients because they are very sick.”

Their spirit of service has already inspired their four-year-old brother, who now also asks for gas gift cards instead of birthday presents.

“Christopher and Nicholas are always finding ways to give back to their community and put a smile on someone’s face,” the brothers’ aunt, Annmarie Hordern, says. “These little acts of kindness go a long way and add up. While very young, they are prime examples of community leaders.”