The Advocates Good Samaritan December 2023: Benjamin Brown

Each month, The Advocates team up with NonStop Local News to honor one individual or group that make Montana a great place to live. Our final honoree of the year is Benjamin Brown.

Benjamin, now a young teen, has been participating in the PeeWee Savers program at Montana Credit Union since he was eight or nine years old. As part of the program, children under 13 can bring in their money to deposit and, in return, they receive points. Once a child has accumulated enough points, they can exchange them for a prize. These prizes are typically toys, like dolls or cars.

Benjamin says he’s not much of a toy person, so when he started earning large numbers of points, he decided to donate his prizes to children in need.

He began donating his toys to organizations in the area, like Daisy’s Rainbow Cart, the Great Falls Rescue Mission, The Cameron Center, and Family Promise. These groups then distribute the toys throughout the community.

“To see such a young member of our community take that initiative to give, to realize the opportunity, and it shows an example that we can all give in our own individual ways,” says John Hageman, president and CEO of Montana Credit Union.

For Benjamin’s part, he says it just makes him feel good “to know that [the kids receiving his toys] are having a better day than they were.”

The Advocates are proud to recognize hard-working, generous, and caring Montanans like Benjamin.

If you know a person or organization that deserves to be recognized for their contributions to their community, nominate them to be our Good Samaritan here. Each month, the team at NonStop Local reviews the entries and picks one nominee to be honored. The winners are recognized with a news story on the last Monday of each month.