Brax Gives Back

Fearless fundraiser sets example

With a heart as big as his hat, Callaway, Nebraska, native, Braxton Anderson, has inspired a wave of donations to Tabitha claiming, “It just feels good to give.”

Armed with his lucky bucket, spunky personality and ability to ‘hold his own’ with anyone he meets, Braxton has proven a little change makes a big difference. His Tabitha Meals on Wheels gift started with 12 quarters, and while he was busy encouraging others to match it, Tabitha Board Members were busy spreading the word. His donation has grown from $3 to $16,000+ and counting, which equates to over 2,500 meals!

Only ten years young, Braxton was born at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) where for 11 long months his full-time job was to simply fight for life. 100 surgeries later and despite continuing health challenges, this fourth grader at Callaway Elementary, a cowboy and a singer, has become an accidental philanthropist and an example to all.

Demonstrating the power of one, he’s sharpened his fundraising skills by making an appearance at Tabitha’s main campus, delivering Tabitha Meals on Wheels and gracing the airwaves of 10-11 news and the front page of the Lincoln Journal Star.

Braxton received an amazing donation from Lincoln’s 100s of Women Who Care. The day he was released from a recent hospital stay, his first stop before heading home was to thank them with a song. He confidently stated, “I am not going to miss this shindig.” At Tabitha’s largest annual fundraiser, he also served as a special guest auctioneer and shared a song called “ICU,” inspired by his journey and written by his dad, which resulted in the most successful Signature Event to date. Through it all, he’s endured a couple more emergency stays at UNMC but you’d never know it.

Tabitha President and CEO Christie Hinrichs shared, “For Braxton, age was not an obstacle. Means was not a barrier. Time was not an excuse. Brax stepped forward where he was with what he had as he felt inspired to make a difference—uninhibited by whether it was enough, unselfish with what else it could buy. Braxton did not reach out his hand, filled with 12 quarters, to seek attention­—he reached out his hand filled with 12 quarters because it’s what he had, and he knew someone needed it more than him.”

Today, Braxton continues to encourage Tabitha Meals on Wheels donations and has shown that caring is contagious.

Because more than 70 percent of Tabitha Meals on Wheels clients cannot afford the $6.25 cost per meal, we need $500,000 annually and 1,000 volunteers to operate this vital program. Join Braxton’s cause and help serve 500 vulnerable neighbors daily—visit Tabitha.org/Give to contribute.