WESTWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A 13-year-old boy donated $13,000 in bar mitzvah gifts to a UCLA program that helps wounded service members.

Joshua Neidorf donated the funds Thursday to UCLA’s Operation Mend program, which provides free medical services to soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The program has helped 70 injured veterans in the last five years.

The 13-year-old said it’s a cause that he feels strongly about.

“I just love knowing that it’s going somewhere…to help the people who save our lives and keep us safe everyday,” Neidorf said.

He said he knows this was the best way he could have used the money.

“It’s quite extraordinary. His family has been involved, both with the cause and with service members. It’s an exciting thing to see,” said Ron Katz, of Operation Mend.

Neidorf is the youngest person to ever donate to Operation Mend.

“It’s nice. It makes me feel like our world is going in a good direction with this next generation,” said Joshua’s mother, Nanci Neidorf Christopher.