Why a Lynbrook Boy is Known as 'Little St. Nick'

In this time of giving, there is a boy who really took the cause to heart.

Lynbrook resident Raymond Mohler, 12, a seventh grader at , started an organization called the Little St. Nick Foundation. The foundation's mission is to make hospitals a children-friendly place by bringing to the hospitals what they like best — DVDs, video games, and toys.

It all started when Mohler was just 4 years old. He was diagnosed with a hip disease that left him in double braces for 24 months.

"We were in the hospital for a few days," said his mother, Dina. "They put the braces on his legs and told him no running, no jumping and no sports. Although that was bad, we kept telling him he was lucky to be out of the hospital. His birthday is on Christmas Eve. He told us he was so scared while he was in the hospital and they didn't have any good toys. He said he would like to donate half his birthday toys to the hospital. The next year he did it again. The media heard about it and they dubbed him 'Little St. Nick.' That's where the name came from."

The organization grew from there. Currently it has raised over $250,000, and the organization has about 30 volunteers. Professional sports teams have gotten involved, with players coming to the hospitals to give out the toys. Mohler has worked with the New York Islanders and the New York Jets. For the last three years, Nick Mangold, of the New York Jets, has been visiting the hospitals with Mohler.

The organization provides gift bags for children who come through the emergency room, complete with a Beanie Baby, coloring book, and crayons. They also build playrooms and teen lounges in hospitals, and provide laptop computers and printers.

Mohler has worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant wishes not just to terminally ill children, but to any child that needs to take their minds off the pain they are in.

"I feel bad for children left behind in the hospital," Mohler said. "It makes you feel good [to donate] at the end of the day."

Mohler has been honored with the Sweetwater Clifton Award — given to local people that help others— by the New York Knicks. He has been recognized by News 12 for Students Making a Difference, and he has been given citations by the Town of Hempstead. 

The foundation is funded through private donations and by an annual golf outing. Last night, the foundation sponsored Cigar Night at The Stogie in Rockville Centre. Tickets were sold out.