Oswego Teen Plays Santa to Local Kids in Need

15-year-old Kylie Schimmel with some of this year’s Toys for Tots donations. Credit: Schimmel family.

An Oswego teenager is playing Santa to local kids this Christmas.

Kylie Schimmel, 15, put her artistic talent to good use, selling handmade hair bows and accessories at area arts and crafts shows. Since October, her efforts have netted more than $900.

The Oswego High School student used the proceeds to make several trips to Target, where she picked up toys that will be distributed to area kids in time for Christmas.

Kylie said she began selling the hair accessories several years ago to raise money for cancer research in honor of her brother’s teacher, who was battling breast cancer.

“It just took off from there,” said Kylie. Over the last three years, proceeds from her sales have brought in more than $3,500 to area charities.

While she sells hair accessories year round, Kylie begins setting aside proceeds for Toys for Tots each October.

“My brother and I are very fortunate,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine being a child and waking up on Christmas morning and having no presents to open.”

Kylie keeps the donations local by dropping the toys off at her local fire station. All the toys are distributed to children in the area, she said.

“I just want to make sure every child has a present to open on Christmas,” she said.

“We are extremely proud of Kylie’s very hard work and dedication to helping others,” dad Scott Schimmel said. “Her mother and I could not be more proud of her.”