Islip Boys Raise $1,700 In 1 Day To Help Kids With Heart Defects

ISLIP, NY — A Facebook post, ornaments, and one day. That's all it took for Kieran Freelin, 13, and Matthew Levy, 12, to raise more than $1,700 for a local charity this holiday season.

The Islip middle schoolers told Patch that they wanted to sell handmade ornaments for Gavin's Got Heart, a local non-profit which provides financial and emotional support for families with children affected by congenital heart defects.

"We wanted to spread holiday cheer," said Kieran.

Gavin Mogil, 10, of Islip, was born with a heart defect and has undergone multiple surgeries. His parents created the organization to help other families in a similar position.

Janine Freelin, Kieran's mother, said that her family and Gavin's family belong to the same beach club, and would often participate in the charity's fundraising events. But when the pandemic hit, many events were limited.

"We said after Thanksgiving, that it was kind of sad that they didn't have any opportunities to raise money, because nobody was able to get together," Janine said.

After watching a video online about how to make ornaments, the boys decided to create some themselves and donate the profits to Gavin's Got Heart.

The duo held their first sale in December 2020, where they raised more than $700. Gavin's mother Nicole donated the proceeds to Northwell Health's natal intensive care unit.

The drive was so successful that the boys decided to continue their tradition again in 2021, selling ornaments for donations.

But to their surprise, more than 50 people visited the ornament sale on December 23 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., after seeing Janine's post promoting it on social media.

"Some people just donated money and didn't didn't take anything," said Janine. "Some people had a couple dollars and they donated and took an ornament or two."

Janine also said that multiple people stopped to donate various items for the cause, such as other handmade crafts and jewelry. One person left $100 checks and took nothing. Others gave items to the boys for themselves, such as a pizza pie, gift cards, and money.

"It was really heartwarming, because so many people stopped by and had great conversations with the kids," said Janine.

Kieran and Matthew also received numerous Venmo payments from those who couldn't attend in person. They had quite a few ornaments left over, they said, and intended to deliver the extras to those who had made virtual donations.

"I would say most of the people did not even know Gavin's Got Heart or Gavin himself," said Janine. "So everybody had the spirit of Christmas in the true sense of that they wanted to just give."

The duo said that after seeing so many people donate to the cause, they truly felt the holiday spirit.

"It's cool to see how everyone reacted when we all come together and make something good happen," said Kieran.

For more information about Gavin's Got Heart, click here.