SAN ANGELO, Texas — 4-year-old Aspen Batenburg came home from school one day with a big question for her parents.
"She asked us how to get toys for kids that don't get them for Christmas so we told her that we didn't have enough money to do it so she says, 'Is there a way to get money to do it?,'" Aspen's father Tony Batenburg said.
The family decided to organize a drawing for a grill, including other family members, friends and coworkers in an effort to raise funds for children in need.
As a result, Aspen collected more than $3,000 to support San Angelo's Toys for Tots campaign.
"Aspen put in the work to go sell them [the raffle tickets] all and then she raised $3,300 to buy toys today," Tony said.
"Yeah," Aspen agreed.
The 4-year old entered Walmart Supercenter, 5501 Sherwood Way, wearing a sparkling red dress and matching bow with her parents, younger sibling and other supporters by her side.
There, she was greeted by members of the Marine Corps, along with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, who gave her flowers and a t-shirt.
"You're an honorary elf for the rest of your life," Santa said to Aspen.
From there, she walked around the store checking off items on her list to purchase for Concho Valley children.
Bicycles, helmets, LEGOs, board games, Barbie dolls and more were all added into multiple shopping carts and taken to the front of the store for checkout.
"She raised the money, she did the work, she put all the footwork into it and she said, 'Mom and daddy, this is what I wanna do,' and they made it happen for her," San Angelo Toys for Tots coordinator GypC Serna said. "So it's an amazing thing, this 4-year old girl has infected this entire area, the Marines, all of us, with the spirit of giving."
Following the motto "One toy at a time," each item was placed into a Toys for Tots box, where they will soon be distributed to children for the holiday season.
Aspen's parents, the Toys for Tots workers and everyone around her smiled as she made a difference in the lives of so many and at such a young age.
"We're very proud of her," Tony said. "We were happy to support her."
When asked how she felt after helping her community, Aspen replied, "Good."
She left Walmart knowing she had an impact.
Visit sanangelotxtoysfortots for more on ways to donate or applications.