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Fifth grade student sells comics to help classmate

Feb 5, 2016 | Lifestyles

Kyle Zakowicz is a small child with a big heart. The fifth-grade student from Allendale Elementary in West Seneca was in the middle of creating his comic book, “The Adventures of Pig Man,” when he heard his classmate’s house burned down.

“I felt really bad. It’s a hard thing to have your house be burned down,” Kyle said. He decided to take his comic book and sell copies of it for $1, with the proceeds going to the family of the girl he has been in class with since kindergarten.

His comic is about a pig named Pigman who lives on a farm. During a rainstorm, Pigman was struck by lighting and became half pig and half man. “It’s like in the game Minecraft,” he said. The lightning strike gave Pigman superpowers. Using his invisibility, super jumps and super strength, Pigman stopped someone from robbing a bank. His imagination continued to roll so he created a second Pigman story, on sale now, and is currently working on his third story with a friend.

“I wasn’t sure if it was going to sell because people are skeptical when it comes to kids selling things,” said Kyle’s mother, Jana-Marie.

Kyle and Jana-Marie took a walk around nearby neighborhoods to sell the comic door to door, and Kyle even flagged down cars to see if people would be interested in helping his friend. To their surprise, people were paying $3 or more for the comic. “He has raised $80 so far. I’m very proud,” Jana-Marie said.

This isn’t Kyle’s first time wanting to give back to those in need. In December, Allendale held a food drive for the Lion’s Club, which his grandpa is a member of. “He took $25 of his own money and went to Aldi’s to buy food [for the food drive] because he wanted to. That’s the kind of kid he is … and I couldn’t ask for him to be in a better school.”

If you would like to help Kyle and his classmate, donations may be sent to Allendale Elementary, 1399 Orchard Park Road, West Seneca, NY 14224.

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