12-year-old brightens holiday for local family

By TAYLOR BROWN

tbrown@yourmvi.com

As Mon Valley children woke up Friday to a white Christmas, a local family had several gifts under their tree thanks to 12-year-old Braedin Lunger of Charleroi.

Braedin is a sixth-grade student in the Charleroi Area School District and has always told his mother, Kelly Weaver, he can see words on others’ hearts. 

While she said her son has always been kind, this year he proved he is also selfless.

During the pandemic when a family friend needed help, Braedin stepped in to lend a hand with deer processing.

While he earns money by doing well in school and performing small chores around the house, it was his first actual job.

“One day, he got all excited and came home to tell me he got his money from helping,” Weaver said. “He was so excited.”

She was already proud of him for a job well done, then he did something that surprised her. 

“Instead of putting the money up in his wallet where he normally keeps it to save, he asked me to take him shopping,” she said.

With only a few days left to go until Christmas, she told him to save his money and to add whatever it is he wanted to buy to his last-minute wish list for Santa.

But Braedin didn’t want to go shopping for himself. 

“Since he was little, when we took him to sit on Santa’s lap, he would tell him to make sure not to forget about the kids who might not get presents,” she said. “I never thought anything more about it until this year.”

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