By Lindsay Tice,Staff Writer

LITCHFIELD – When Emily Beaulieu turns 7 later this month, she’s bound to get a lot of toys.

But she won’t keep any of them.

And that’s her birthday wish.

“I want other kids who don’t have anything left to have some toys,” she said.

Emily came to her decision two days after Christmas while she looked around her bedroom filled with tiny plastic animals, stuffed bears and new electronic toys. Her birthday meant even more presents and it was less than a month away.

“You ask for all the stuff you want for Christmas,” said the bubbly 6-year-old. “After, the next thing you know, they’re asking about your birthday.”

Emily asked her mother if she could give her birthday presents away to poor children. Her mother suggested that party guests bring gifts specifically to donate.

Catholic Charities, which gives toys to the young victims of house fires, agreed to take the donations for their Toy Box program. Emily jumped at the idea.

She has followed her family’s charitable causes since infancy, tagging along when her older brothers volunteered at a local nursing home or handed out food at a soup kitchen.

Home schooled with her brothers, now 13 and 11, Emily soon started volunteering on her own. She spends hours every month visiting with residents of Russell Park, a nursing home in Lewiston. After seeing sick children on TV several months ago, she began donating her hair to Locks of Love, a national organization that makes wigs for young cancer patients.

Shortly before Christmas, she walked past the Auburn Mall’s Giving Tree and was crestfallen by the number of tags still hanging there, unattached to a donation. To her, each tag represented a child who wouldn’t get a Christmas.

“She wanted me to pick all the names on the tree,” said her mother, Lisa Beaulieu.

Beaulieu wasn’t wholly surprised when Emily said she wanted to help other kids. She was surprised that her daughter would give up her birthday to do it.

“Every day I asked her, Do you still want to do that?'” Beaulieu said. “I said, You know, once the toys come, we’re not keeping them.'”

Every day, Emily said, “Yes.”

To help boost the number of toys, the Book Burrow in Auburn will accept donations from anyone who wants to contribute. Lisa Beaulieu plans to bring Emily’s toy drive to the local home-school organization and perhaps, to area schools.

Emily’s party will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21. On Sunday, her birthday, the family will attend Disney on Ice. The show will serve as Emily’s present.

On Monday, Jan. 23, Emily will help deliver the donations to Catholic Charities. Her mother hopes for a few carloads, enough for Emily to feel like she’s made a difference.

Imagining kids left cold and homeless from a fire, Emily just hopes the donations include “something to snuggle with.”

“I hope they get everything they want,” she said.