9yearold Bloomfield girl helps donate thousands of gifts to Riley Hospital for Children
Dec 24, 2024
INDIANAPOLIS A nine-year-old from Bloomfield is helping kids at Riley Hospital for Children get toys this holiday season. Jayklin Graf, better known as Jayklin Clause during the holidays, is leading the charge to gather thousands of toys. Graf, along with her family, helped deliver them to the hospital Monday morning just in time for Christmas. The family has collected toys for the last seven years, and over 10,000 have been donated. This year, the community of Bloomfield broke its record and donated another 2,400 toys. "It's just a huge community and everyone gets involved," said Misty Graf, Jayklin's mom. "I remember when we were up here the for the first time with her, having the toys to offer to her siblings really helped." The hospital connects with the Graf family on a deeper level. Jayklin has been a Riley kid since she was two weeks old, diagnosed with Rubenstein-Taybi Syndrome, a rare genetic condition. Throughout her young life, she has survived open-heart surgery, spinal surgery, eye surgery, and hundreds of physical and occupational therapy sessions. Riley is just a very great place," said Misty Graf. "It's very special to our heart and they saved her life multiple times.