Boy Donates 15K of Livestock Winnings to St. Jude Children’s Hospital

An Ohio 7th grader with a big heart is being called a hero for his recent act of charity during a county fair.

Diesel Pippert decided to donate all of his livestock premiums from the Huron County Fair to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an amount which totaled $15,000.

In a Facebook post Saturday, the Western Reserve Schools praised the young man for his good deed.

“A young man lives amongst us who should be an example to us all. WR 7th grader Diesel Pippert donated all of his livestock premiums to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today at the Huron County Fair large animal sale,” the post read. “His donation of $15,000 will help to find cures for young children and save lives. Diesel, you are a hero!”

Pippert’s substantial donation will help the researchers at St. Jude to fulfill the hospital’s mission which is to “advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.”

In a similar instance on August 8, a young girl in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, sold her lamb at a 4-H auction in hopes of raising enough money to pay off medical bills for her stepfather who had a brain tumor.

As Katie Eitner walked into the auction ring with her 145-pound lamb at the Greene County Fair, the crowd began to clap. The auctioneer started the bidding for the lamb at $20 a pound, and the price per pound just kept growing from there.

Finally, the bidding stopped at $233 a pound, bringing the grand total to $33,785.

Eitner’s fellow 4-H members also donated portions of their animal sales to help the family pay their father’s medical bills.

In August of 2018, a lamb named Henry was sold in an auction at the Umatilla County Fair in Pendleton, Oregon, raising $23,200 to pay the medical bills of an 11-year-old girl with a brain tumor.

Maddy Thomas said she joined 4-H to participate in a “normal activity” when she regained some strength after her sickness, so she got Henry.

“I liked him because he liked to head butt me and he was always playful,” she recalled. “I liked walking him around the house.”

Her mother, Jenny Thomas, expressed her gratitude to the community for their support during such a difficult time.

“Anyone who has had a sick child knows the kind of bills that come, and I’ve had to miss a lot of work,” Thomas said.