Dec 20, 2014 4 min read

TAYLORSTOWN – When Emelia Hickman heard 4-H members had donated money from the sale of their animals at the Washington County Agricultural and West Alexander fairs to others, she knew immediately that she wanted to do it, too.

And she had a very special person in mind: her 5-year-old cousin, Logan Craft of Cranberry.

”I would like to do this every year if I can,” 9-year-old Emelia said.

Logan was recently diagnosed with Infantile Neuroaxanal Dystrophy, a rare pervasive developmental disorder caused by an excess buildup of iron deposits on the brain. Logan was developing normally until he was 15 months old. Then he just stopped, and began to regress. He can’t talk, he uses a wheelchair, and he attends Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children.

With the $225 she received at the fairs, Emelia purchased several items and delivered the gifts to her cousin’s classroom. Among the gifts were strobe lights, CDs, toys, cake and cookie mixes and chocolate.

”The students and the teacher were really surprised,” said Emelia, daughter of Keith and Jessica Hickman of Taylorstown. “I knew the teacher would need things for her class to replace old toys. The new toys make sounds and had lights. We also added CDs to the basket. The students like to listen to different sounds.”

Emelia is a fourth-grader at Claysville Elementary School and a first-year member of the South Franklin Morris 4-H Club. She joined 4-H because she thought it would be fun – and it was, until she had to part with her animals.

”It wasn’t fun to have the animals leave,” she said.

Emelia said that one of her animals, a lamb named Starlight, found a good home on a farm. She also sold another lamb and a goat.

”At least Starlight didn’t leave for good,” she said.

Emelia, who has a 5-year-old sister, Adeline, and a 2-year-old brother, Samuel, has strong family ties to 4-H. Both of her grandmothers were 4-H leaders, and her mom and dad were involved as well.

”It’s in the blood, absolutely,” Jessica said.

In addition to raising animals, Emelia also is learning to cook and sew through 4-H. Emelia said most the 4-H youngsters she knows donate their fair money to the American Cancer Society. But she enjoys spending time with Logan so much that she wanted him and his classmates to be the beneficiaries of her good fortune.

”Whenever you say the smallest thing, he gets a big smile,” Emelia said. “He’ll smile all day if somebody is talking to him. He likes to be around all of us when we are loud and playing near him.”

Emelia also has participated in other events for Logan. She has walked with family members at the Pittsburgh Walk-a-Thon for the Mitrochondria Foundation, and at an annual area fundraiser held to assist Logan’s family with his medical care, Emelia has made jewelry and baked goods to sell.

”Emelia has a very big heart,” her mother said.