KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A 10-year-old girl from Sevier County collected hundreds of gifts for the East Tennessee Children's Hospital. She and her family dropped the gifts off at the hospital Friday morning.
Her name is Gabrielle Hays, and she was also named the Jr. Miss Southern States in the Miss Cosmos Pageant. According to a release from her family, she came up with the idea for a toy drive because her father and mother were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
"I feel like it's special because mom used to be one of those children who would have to go to the hospital. She could go in and out and sometimes had to stay here for holidays, and she wouldn't get gifts," she said.
She collected 482 gifts in total, according to social media posts. They ranged from toys, books and games.