Boy’s birthday wish helps homeless

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008 | 12:26 p.m.

Diana Cox / Staff

Kindergartner Blaze Trumble holds up one of 170 donated blankets he collected to help the homeless.

Frannie and Don Trumble have more than 170 reasons to be proud this holiday season.

Their son Blaze, who turned 6 on Tuesday, collected that many blankets to give to homeless people the day after his birthday.

When his parents asked him what he wanted for his sixth birthday, he said he wanted to help others instead of receiving gifts, Frannie Trumble said.

Blaze set a goal of 106 blankets by Nov. 25. For his party, the first grader requested on his invitations that his friends bring a blanket rather than a gift.

Blaze said he chose to help the homeless, because "they don't have anything."

He said he doesn't know all of the reasons people end up homeless, but he thinks he understands a few.

"Sometimes they lose their job or are on drugs. Sometimes they come home from the Army and their minds are messed up," he said.

On Nov. 16, Blaze kicked off his drive with a speech at the conclusion of church services at the Christian Center.

"His speech moved people to tears," Don Trumble said.

He and his parents also put up about 100 fliers around town and installed collection boxes at seven different locations.

One church member gave him money for a special lunch for himself to say thank you for helping others, Blaze said.

Blaze's teacher brought him a blanket, and Boulder Dam Credit Union employees donated 22 blankets. Plaza Realty employees donated blankets, and two residents each gave $100 to purchase more blankets.

Blaze said the boxes he had placed around town filled up quickly with blankets of all shapes and sizes, many of them homemade.

"Some are like sleeping bags," he said. "There is a bag to put the blankets in."

On. Wednesday, Blaze and his parents plan to take the blankets to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission. Blaze planned to help serve Thanksgiving dinner to about 2,000 people before distributing the blankets.

He said he was a little nervous, because he had never been close to a homeless person before. He had seen them before, he said, but "only if I'm in a car."

While his parents don't know where or how their son got the idea to help homeless people, they said the family talks about such issues.

"We talk openly about our family being fortunate to have what we have," his father said.

Diana Cox can be reached at 990-8183 or diana.cox@hbcpub.com.