The 8-Year-Old Boy Who Did Something 'Incredible' For a Soldier Now Wants to Help Other Military Families

The child who inspired countless national news headlines after he "paid it forward" to a soldier he saw enter an Ohio Cracker Barrel has now launched an online fundraiser aimed at benefiting Gold Star children.

Tiffany Eckert, the mother of 8-year-old Myles, told TheBlaze in an email Tuesday that her family "will not be accepting any money."

Image source: Crowd It

Since her son's story went viral over the weekend, there has been an outpouring of individuals contacting the family, offering to send Myles a $20 bill or video game.

Instead, Eckert says Myles would prefer individuals donate to a charity which benefits Gold Star children, like himself.

"We have chosen to pay it forward to an organization called Snowball Express," she told TheBlaze. "It's a wonderful program for other Gold Star kids like Myles and his sister Marlee."

[sharequote align="center"]"We have chosen to pay it forward..."[/sharequote]

"Seeing people give to Snowball would mean so much more to all of us than any video game ever could," Eckert added to CBS News' Steve Hartman. "Myles isn't the only little guy out there that's hugging a headstone. This will benefit some of the others."

The verified online campaign hopes to raise $10,000 for the organization. At the time of publication, $1,170 had been donated.

"If we can raise $10,000 for the Snowball Express, we'll be touching the lives of thousands of military families," the fundraising website says.

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Follow Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) on Twitter

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