This 10-year-old is on a mission to fulfill Christmas wish lists for neighborhood's neediest
Dominic Miller is a 10-year-old Santa in training.
Some might call 10-year-old Dominic Miller a Santa Claus in training.
While most kids his age dream of picking out presents during the holidays, Dominic has made it his mission to make other people’s Christmas wishes come true -- and he’s been doing it since he was 3.
"This is his life. This is what he’s going to do, and I think he’s going to change the world," Rose Marie Miller, Dominic’s grandmother and guardian, told "Good Morning America."
For seven years, Dominic has collected pajamas and books to donate to shelters in his neighborhood in Eastpointe, Michigan. He calls his campaign "Dominic’s Christmas Wish," and his goal this year is to gather 1,000 pairs of pajamas and 1,000 books to give to three local shelters.
"His favorite number is 552 … and so we just kind of rounded it up," Miller said.
His idea started after a public service announcement on the Disney Channel. When Dominic was 3, he saw the story of a little girl who created a library in her front yard, and he wanted to do something similar for his own community.
"He took this idea and wanted to run with it," Miller said.
His first goal was helping the people in his neighborhood that he'd seen eating out of trash cans or sleeping on benches, Miller said. In the campaign’s first year, he donated 68 pairs of pajamas and dozens of books to a homeless shelter.
"He really internalized that he needs to help somehow," Miller added.
To gather his donations, Dominic acts like a little entrepreneur. He leaves drop boxes outside of 20 businesses, and last month, he raised $1,800 at a charity event.
"He doesn’t take no for an answer. I keep telling him he could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo," Miller said.
Some retailers even offer him discounts, so he can go on shopping sprees for supplies close to the holidays. To meet this year’s goal, Dominic has been working around the clock.
"As soon as Christmas is over, he’s buying up Christmas pajamas that have gone on clearance, and we keep them in boxes until the next year. … It’s an all year process for him," Miller said.
But his uncommon generosity stems from overcoming an uncommon number of obstacles in his life so far.
Since birth, he’s had a mild case of cerebral palsy that makes everyday tasks difficult, and when Dominic was 5, he suffered a stroke that left him with epilepsy.
Amid these health struggles, Dominic and his grandmother lost their home. His biological parents aren’t in the picture.
However, last summer brought some much-needed good news, according to Miller. In May, Dominic was officially adopted by his grandmother.
"He's a whole different kid because for the first time in his life, he feels like he’s a family," Miller said.
The countdown for Dominic to meet his goal is on, and what he wants next for the campaign is just as ambitious.
He hopes to take "Dominic's Christmas Wish" to the next level and make it an official nonprofit recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.
"He’s so passionate about what he does," Miller said. "I can’t even imagine where he’s going to go."
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