Ashton Brandt made her first donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at age 4. Last month, the Centerville High School senior’s annual gift totaled more than $30,000.
For 13 years, Brandt has given to the Indianapolis facility, pledging a lifetime of paying it forward.
“I was in the car with my mom and we heard the [St. Jude] commercial on the radio,” Brandt told WWN. After her mom, Britney, explained what St. Jude was, she knew she wanted to help.
Each year her mother took her to the radio station to make her donation. As she grew older, Ashton took on odd jobs to earn money, like landscaping or pulling weeds. As a horse enthusiast, her favorite job was washing an owner’s horse trailer. Soon, local businesses would match whatever she raised, donating greater totals.
“My husband and I have both helped over the years with the jobs Ashton did,” said Britney. She said her entire family had put in a lot of time and sweat, but it was all worth it.
Last month, Ashton announced her $30,890 donation during her annual visit to Duncan Media’s G101.3 radio station. On Nov. 5, a WTHR Channel 13 news segment with news anchor Scott Swan highlighted her generosity.
“It was a really cool experience,” said Ashton. Being used to radio interviews, she said it was eye-opening to hear and see herself on screen. She also toured the news station for a behind-the-scenes look at how the broadcast is produced.
As Ashton studies speech pathology at Ball State next year, she wants young people in her community to learn from her example.
“If you want to do something, no matter how young you are, you can reach your goals and dreams you set,” said Ashton.
A version of this article appeared in the November 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.
