CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Sherry and Beau Culvahouse's home is filled with laughter, love and boxes — dozens and dozens of boxes, all overflowing with toys donated in memory of their daughter Kaylee, who would have turned 18 next week.
Kaylee passed away in March 2024. Born with a rare genetic disorder, she was nonverbal but communicated through pure love. Her favorite thing? Toys.
"Couldn't leave the house without a toy in her hand. Toys was her everything," Sherry and Beau Culvahouse said.
Now in its third year, Kaylee's Light Foundation is working to collect 2,000 toys for Driscoll Children's Hospital. With only a few days left, the drive has reached 1,156 toys — 58 percent of the goal.
"She loved toys and we want to continue that love and joy that she had for toys and keep her memory alive through the toys to children at Driscoll Children's Hospital," the Culvahouses said.
The timing is intentional. The family will deliver the toys on July 22, the day before Kaylee's 18th birthday. It is also when Driscoll's shelves are typically low, between the holiday giving seasons.
"She's more alive than ever. She lets us know her presence and she's very good at orchestrating things and guiding us," the Culvahouses said.
For this family, every donated toy is proof that love continues beyond loss.
"Just a simple toy just shows that somebody cares about them, a distraction. I know for Kaylee it was joy, it was security, and so we hope that they feel that same love and joy that Kaylee felt," the Culvahouses said.
The foundation has 30 collection sites spread across the Coastal Bend — from Padre Island to the Southside, from Central and Downtown Corpus Christi to Annaville. For those who cannot make it to a drop-off location, the Culvahouse family has made it easy to still participate.
"We also have an Amazon list so it can actually just ship straight to our house, and also we can shop for you so you can do a Cash App or a Venmo and we can find all the good deals and let those dollars stretch," the Culvahouses said.
Toys can be dropped off at any of the 30 collection sites across the Coastal Bend. To donate remotely, send contributions via Venmo at kayleeslightfoundation or Cash App at $kayleeslight.
This story was reported on-air 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.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
