Don't let anybody tell you it's an uncaring world out there. Cody Hill's story proves them wrong.

Two weeks ago I wrote about Cody, a local eighth-grader who saw a woman killed when he was on vacation in Atlanta a few years ago. After that experience, Cody hated guns.

"Guns aren't fun," Cody says. "I wanted to do something so kids wouldn't play with guns, even toy guns." Cody came up with the idea of a toy gun exchange, to be held May 9 in Portland, the day adults will be turning in real guns for vouchers and merchandise.

Cody wanted to offer kids new, nonviolent toys in exchange for toy guns they turned in. He approached the Northeast Community Development Corp. (NECDC), which agreed to sponsor the turn-in. But Cody had to raise the money and do the organizing. So he spent the past few months contacting companies, asking for their help and donations. Several companies offered some help, but nobody was willing to put up the money to pay for vouchers for the new toys. Cody figured he needed $10,000 for the vouchers. Two weeks ago, he'd raised $218 in a bake sale at his school. One of the companies he was working with told him he had to raise $5,000 in two weeks, or the toy gun exchange was off.

So Cody called me. He said he was discouraged but still determined to try hard to make the exchange happen.

Readers of this column thought it was a wonderful idea. "From April 3rd to the 15th, we've received $9,446.20 in donations," say Jaki Walker. the executive director of the NECDC. Her organization has had to ask for volunteers to handle all the mail coming in.

So the May 9 toy gun turn-in will happen; Cody's dream will be realized. He's very excited. "I didn't realize how many people would want to help out," Cody wrote in a thank you note this week.

Farmers Insurance Co, has raised money and is helping with publicity. Local toy stores have offered gift certificates at a discount. Toy manufacturers have called, offering to sell toys at cost.And at Thursday night's game, the Blazers reserved a portion of ticket sales to give to Cody for the toy gun turn-in.

Here's how it will work May 9. For the first toy gun each child turns in, he or she will receive a toy or gift certificate. For each additional toy gun, each child will be given a ticket to a raffle, with bigger prizes. Cody is hoping to offer a bike and a computer.

The event is beginning to look like the "fun time" Cody envisioned. "I don't just want kids to turn in guns and get a toy," he said two weeks ago. "I want them to have a really good time." It looks like sport courts will be set up so kids can play games. (The NECDC is still trying to locate someone who will donate a batting cage.) OMSI is interested in providing hands-on science displays. Cody is hoping musicians, clowns, face painters and other entertainerswill volunteer to perform.

"All of this response has been amazing, but the best part has been the letters people have written telling me how glad they are somebody is doing this," Cody wrote. "I thought of giving up at one point because I called business after business and organization after organization and all I heard was, 'Good idea, but we don't have any money.'"

But the individual donations have made the toy turn-in a reality. "I know they are probably not rich people with a lot of money to spare," Cody wrote, "but they care enough to help anyway. Some of the letters are really, really sad and they make me want to cry. There are letters about donating in memory of people, including their own children, who have been shot." One man who works in an organ donor program sent a check "because he sees what guns do to people....It is amazing how many people really care about this issue."

Cody was on the brink of giving up on his dream; now he has a large group of people who are not just encouraging him, they are helping. One businessman "told me he thought it was nearly impossible for this to happen in such a short time, but all the people who have sent in donations have proven anything can happen when people when people really care about something."

We've heard often in the past few years that it takes a village to raise a child. Cody Hill cares so much about his village, he's working like crazy to make kids understand guns aren't anything to play with. Who's raising whom?

The Oregonian
Margie Boule

Article 1- Eighth-grader isn't just toying with idea of fighting violence.