Good Goals

Jack Leandro loves ice hockey. “He was pretty much born in the rink,” his mom, Lyndsey, told TIME for Kids. As a baby, Jack watched his dad and grandfather play. He was on the ice by age 2.

Jack lives in Acushnet, Massachusetts. If you were there last summer, you could have seen Jack shooting hockey pucks in his driveway. You might have thought he was just practicing. But he was actually shooting for a fundraiser he started. It’s called Pucks for Bucks with Jack.

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES! Jack takes aim, about to make one of thousands of shots for Pucks for Bucks.

Jack’s fundraiser was for a nonprofit group called A Wish Come True. The group grants wishes to kids with serious illnesses. It also helps families pay bills while their child is receiving medical care.

“For every dollar donated, Jack would shoot a puck,” his mom says. The original goal was $5,027. (“Number 27 is his jersey number,” his mom explains.) By the end of August, Jack had raised more than $10,000.

Giving Back

A Wish Come True is special to Jack. The group was there for his family a few years ago. His sister, Sydney, had cancer. “My wish was to go somewhere hot and sunny with a lot of animals,” Sydney, now 11, told TFK. “I just love animals.”

A Wish Come True sent the family to San Diego, California. It’s home of the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The group also presented Jack with a hockey scholarship. So giving back felt like the right thing to do. “I wanted to help other families,” Jack says.

SIBLING SUPPORT Jack and his big sister, Sydney, celebrate outside their home on the first day of Jack’s Pucks for Bucks fundraiser.

On May 12, Sydney celebrated three years cancer-free. Jack marked the happy milestone by making it day 1 of his fundraiser. “Sometimes, he’d do 100 pucks in a day,” his mom says. “Sometimes, he’d do 500.” The family recorded each shot using a handheld clicker. Now and then, a puck would bounce off the goalpost and roll down the street. “I’d chase after it so we didn’t lose any,” Sydney remembers.

Mary-Kate O’Leary is the executive director of A Wish Come True. She told TFK that Jack is a “role model” for how to take what you love and use it to help others.

Wishes Granted

The money Jack donated to A Wish Come True was enough to grant wishes to two kids. One is a boy named Maddox. He and Jack met in August. “Jack gave him his hockey stick and signed it,” O’Leary says.

Jack is already planning his next Pucks for Bucks fundraiser. It’ll be later this year, after his hockey team competes in the playoffs. “We’re all just wicked proud of him,” his mom says.

FAVORITE SPORT Jack’s love of hockey helps him stay focused on his way to an important game.

Inspired?

Let Jack’s story inspire you to make a positive difference in your community. Turn the page for ideas on raising funds for a cause you care about.