One Child Opening His Heart to Vets
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer
At a time when it is rare to experience examples of “brotherly love†in the real world, I was taken back on Sunday evening, March 25th, 2018, by a little boy that appeared on NBC, highlighted for the good deeds he does daily at only 6 years old. His innocence and candor were captured by the cameras on ‘Little Big Shots’ a weekly series hosted by Steve Harvey, where kids come forth to showcase their talent. With an unimaginable success rate, this marks the third season of the Sunday evening show, all about kids.
Those who were expecting a singer, dancer or comedian, could never have imagined that a six-year old boy from Halethorpe, Maryland, would have so much love for a portion of society that is so easily forgotten. His acts of kindness were highlighted on this episode of the show. With a magical generosity, quick wit and tremendous wisdom, here was a child that displayed a maturity level far greater than his young years.
Tyler Stallings is one of those little boys with a twinkle in his eyes and a smile from ear to ear, just full of imagination, already being labeled as a ‘kidpreneur.’ Tyler even has his very own company known as Kid Time Enterprises of which he is the CEO. He has already co-written his first book with his mom called “Tyler Goes Around the Worldâ€. Coming from a family of veterans, Tyler targets his love and benevolence towards homeless war veterans. In their eyes, Tyler Stallings is a real superhero. It all began when Tyler’s mom, Andrea Blackstone, decided to show her son a YouTube video about the plight of homeless veterans when he was just 4 years old. His curiosity brought out emotions that were only the beginning of this journey of love that Tyler Stallings embarked upon and has never looked back since.
Tyler comes from a long line of veterans in his own family. Swiftly, he created ‘Give Back to Veterans Day’. This little boy wants veterans to feel good about what they do for our country and to know that they will always be remembered. During his first year of action, Tyler received a grant which he used to make hygiene kits to deliver specifically to elderly and homeless veterans. Just in time for Easter, he raised enough money to make his own gift baskets. His efforts increased in size when hundreds of hygiene and grooming products were donated to the Armed Forces Retirement Home in the District of Columbia and the Patriot House in Anne Arundel County. The tradition continued during the 2016 Christmas holiday. The 2nd annual ‘Give Back To Veterans Day’ was held. Many more of these hygiene packs were made with some of the proceeds from Tyler’s book sales and additional funding coming from a GoFundMe Campaign. But Tyler did not stop there, he was only getting started. This pint-sized bundle of energy donned a superhero cape (which has become his trademark now) and visited a shopping center in Prince George County where he spread the word to support his cause and his reasons why. He received such overwhelming support that he continued to dress as a superhero and enjoyed giving speeches on weekends at Fells Point in Baltimore, Maryland, shouting out his love and support for the veterans.
With each citizen that Tyler wins over and each dollar that he raises, his work is becoming even more powerful. He has been able to continue to fill his hero bags for the vets with not only hygiene and grooming products, but, winter coats and jackets, school supplies, bottles of water, trail mix and more. He hands out the bags more frequently these days. Tyler even donated a new laptop computer for employment searches to The Maryland Center for Veterans Education & Training located in Baltimore. Only one year after his generosity commenced, Tyler is being assisted by a pro bono attorney, working to establish Tyler’s ‘Give Back to Veterans’ non-profit organization so that this little kidpreneur may always be a pivotal part of veteran’s lives.
Tyler’s great deeds have also promoted more worthwhile programs in his state. He inspired a #1000bookgiveaway hashtag of social media to promote literacy. Tyler travels to parts of Maryland and the District of Columbia where he gives away free books to kids and teenagers, advocating the importance of reading.
The Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, and the Mayor of Annapolis, Michael Pantelidas, have both recognized the outstanding work of Tyler Stallings, awarding him with a citation for helping all the many veterans and America’s youth. From his appearance on ‘Little Big Shots’ on NBC, the show bestowed upon Tyler 100 more hero packs so he can continue to deliver his love and much needed hero bags to all of our honorable vets.
While most toddlers are only just beginning to explore what the world is all about, this little CEO is moving mountains and impacting the lives of millions of vets. Tyler also sells t-shirts and hats on his website, kidtimeenterprises.com. You can also donate to his cause at GOFUNDME, there are still a wide population of veterans to support.
What is next for Tyler Stallings as he turns 7? Tyler’s goal is to write his second book and expand his involvement in the local community and beyond. Good luck Tyler!! You are truly a SUPERHERO!
