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Austintown boy uses fund raiser to support the troops
Youngster sends treats to troops
By Justin Wier
AUSTINTOWN
Many students, as well as their neighbors and relatives, see fundraisers as an annoyance, but Austintown 12-year-old Tyler Casto saw a football fundraiser as an opportunity to make the Easters of men and women spending the holiday on military bases a little sweeter.
Tyler had to sell chocolate bars to support the Little Falcons Football and Cheer this spring, and he asked friends and family to buy boxes of the bars at $30 each, so he could ship them to men and women in the military.
“Some people don’t get to come home for holidays,” Tyler said. “So I wanted them to have a little treat for Easter.”
Kassi Casto, Tyler’s mother, said he has several family members in the military, including his father and grandfather. His aunt Kelly, who also served, told him it was tough being away on the holidays.
Casto said her son has always been caring.
“He’s always thinking about other people,” she said. “That’s what makes me so proud of him.”
Tyler sold 12 boxes of chocolate bars this year. He sent five boxes each to two military bases overseas, including one in Japan. The two remaining boxes went to Fort Meade in Maryland.
A family friend is stationed at Fort Meade, and the Castos got addresses from friends and family of other Little Falcons as well.
This is the second time Tyler has sent chocolate to the troops. In 2014, he used an Austintown Intermediate School fundraiser to send five-and-a-half boxes to a naval base in New Orleans. The men and women stationed there sent back photos of themselves with the chocolate bars, and sent Tyler a souvenir medal. They forwarded additional chocolate to troops in Afghanistan.
Tyler “wasn’t looking for recognition,” Casto said. “He was just looking to brighten someone’s day – even if he didn’t know them.”
This time, Michael Myhal, owner of TMI in Canfield, offered to have his company ship the chocolate bars for the Castos.
He plays in the Amanda Jones band, and Casto had reached out to ask if she could include a copy of the band’s CD with the chocolate shipments.
“Given that I have a local manufacturing business and we ship worldwide, I said, ‘Why don’t we ship them for you?’” Myhal said. “We do a lot of military work with our business. Both our band and our business have been adamant about doing things to help the troops.”
Casto said even now, if someone wanted to make a donation, they would be more than willing to ship out more chocolate bars. Those interested can contact Kelli Zemko, president of the Austintown Little Falcons, at kellizemko@gmail.com.