Local Boy Using Play-Doh To Touch Lives Of Sick, Injured Kids

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Most kids love Play-Doh with the way it squishes, bends, and twists.

But for kids in the hospital – who have had some twists and turns already in their young lives – Play-Doh becomes more than a toy. It becomes a moment free from tubes and tests.

And that's where Symond Boschetto comes in.

He started a Play-Doh drive at his elementary school so he could donate it all to Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA).

And the cans kept coming in, receiving five times his original goal, and is now delivering 5,000 cans of Play-Doh.

"I thought, 'Wow! They don't know how much we're going to give them but they're going to be surprised, ' " he said.

Unlike other toys that can be cleaned and reused, Play-Doh cannot be disinfected, which means kids can only use it once and CHLA quickly runs out.

"Everything we give to a child has to be sterilized," said Rosby Lamm.

CHLA hands out 80,000 toys a year, and welcomes 5,000 more.

"Our need for toys is ongoing," said Lamm.

That's why Symond and his dad aren't stopping anytime soon.

"Almost [in] tears because you're so proud of what he's been able to achieve just out of an idea," said Russell Boschetto, Symond's dad.

Together, they've created Share Hope USA, an organization to do good for the homeless, and now for kids in the hospital.

Symond's idea for next year?

"I want to get over 5,000 [cans of Play-Doh]," he said.

Children's Hospital Los Angeles says they now need more toys for infants and teens. For more information on how to donate, click here.