They say big things come in small packages and that’s certainly the case regarding 10-year-old Kaydence Cluff, who was brought to tears Wednesday afternoon after her selfless acts of kindness took center stage during a surprise assembly at her school.

Though the Pocatello girl has one of the shortest statures in her entire fifth-grade class at Ellis Elementary in Chubbuck, what Cluff lacks in height she makes up for in heart.

Cluff made local headlines last December when she not only donated every birthday gift she received to the local Toys for Tots organization, but also spent $125 of her birthday money to purchase even more gifts for underprivileged children.

On Wednesday afternoon, Toys for Tots volunteer Russell Briney, who’s known locally as Santa’s Chief Elf, presented Cluff with the Toys for Tots Marine Corps Detachment 698 Order of Saint Thaumaturge Award. Cluff’s the first child in Southeast Idaho to receive the honor, Briney said.

“Like many other people who do stuff like this, she doesn’t do it for the recognition because typically they don’t think that they deserve it,” Briney said. “But those are the people we look for. The world deserves to know what she’s done because it’s important.”

Briney presented Cluff with the award in front of every Ellis Elementary fifth-grade student during an assembly she didn’t know was being held in her honor until she was called to the stage.

Cluff’s parents, Kasey and Chris Cluff, have no idea where their daughter got the idea to donate her birthday presents to Toys for Tots, but she’s done so ever since the second grade.

“On her seventh birthday she just asked her dad and I to tell her friends to bring her unwrapped toys to give to other kids for Christmas and it took off from there,” Kasey said. “We know that she wants to make it an even bigger event, so we want to put together a golf tournament next year to accumulate some more toys to donate.”

When asked why she decided to donate her birthday presents to Toys for Tots, a tearful Kaydence said, “I just feel bad for the kids who don’t have any presents to open on Christmas morning. I kinda want to cry because I’m so happy. I was surprised because I wasn’t expecting to get called up during an assembly (to receive an award).”

The Toys for Tots program collected and distributed 18 million toys to 7 million less fortunate children last year, allowing them to experience the joy of Christmas and receive a message of hope that otherwise would not have been there. Toys for Tots distributes toys in over 800 communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

“People don’t realize that whoever Kaydence helped with donating her toys truly makes a huge difference to these kids’ lives,” Briney said.

“It brings tears to my eyes to see these families that are so humbled. They see the gifts that people like Kaydence donate and they think they don’t deserve something so special.”

Briney continued, “I definitely think there are some adults that can learn from this girl. But on that same note, I want it to be known that this community does an exceptional job of giving. Not just the citizens but the businesses too are so charitable. The people who live in this community and the surrounding areas are just fantastic.”

While Kaydence was surprised her school held a special assembly just for her, her teacher, Margo Lamont, was not at all surprised to learn about Kaydence donating her birthday presents to underprivileged children.

Lamont said, “Kaydence is just an awesome kid. She is easy to be around, people naturally want to be around her and she’s so helpful. So while it was really fun to learn about her donations, it’s totally within her character to do so.”

In light of Kaydence’s Toys for Tots donations, other fifth-grade students at Ellis Elementary will have a chance to get in on the gift of giving too.

Kasey addressed the school’s fifth-graders during the assembly and explained to them that the school has started a contest to see which fifth-grade class can bring in the most toys to donate to Toys for Tots.

The class that donates the most toys will win a pizza and root beer float party later in the school year.

“I think it’s so great for the kids to see that there are other students out there working hard to make a difference and that they can participate in that too,” Lamont said.

The local Toys for Tots organization is currently finalizing its donation locations list for the coming Christmas season.

The 2019 Toys for Tots campaign is expected to run through Dec. 23. To learn more about Toys for Tots, visit Toysfortots.org.

“I’m so proud of her,” Chris said about Kaydence. “I think her generosity is awesome but I’m not surprised by it either. She has always been a giver and the type of person to put others first. It’s definitely special for her to receive recognition in front of all her peers because I know that makes her feel good. I think this will drive her to go even bigger and better in the future.”