MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Rutherford County family is keeping their son's memory alive by helping other children through a toy drive, nearly one year after he was swept away in a storm drain during severe weather.
Asher Sullivan, 10, died days after being caught in a storm drain during last year's severe storms that also claimed the life of a Maury County woman.
The Sullivan family has since donated hundreds of stuffed animals to children through "Asher's Animals," a toy drive created in his memory.
These donations have reached young patients at the Ronald McDonald House, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt and have been given to first responders to comfort children at accident scenes.
Asher's mother, Kaycee, recently expanded the initiative by delivering toys to an animal shelter to be included in pet adoption baskets for families.
"This project has been healing me in ways I didn't know I needed," Kaycee said.
Those wishing to contribute can donate new small or medium-sized toys at the Rutherford County Schools' central office on Southpark Drive or connect with Asher's Animals through their Facebook page.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email newsroom@newschannel5.com.
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
