Five-year-old Ella Bast spent some time in the last year supporting her sister in an emergency room in Neenah, Wisconsin. Her sister recovered fully, but Ella didn’t forget just how scary things can be at the hospital -- and how something as small as a sippy cup can calm little kids down.
With that in mind, Ella decided to donate all of her birthday gifts to ThedaCare Regional Medical Center so kids there could be distracted by things like Legos, dolls, clothes and blankets.
She then got even more ambitious and -- with the help of her mom, Tracey -- raised another $2,000 to buy even more gifts.
Ella spent three hours at the store, picking out every single gift by hand.
It was such a successful effort -- and such fun -- that Ella is already talking about doing another round of donations for her birthday next year.
Read More: WLUK-TV