CNN: Support and Hot Wheels after Fire

[Guest guest]

In this time of corporate greed - nice to see a company do a GREAT

thing - I wrote and told them so too!

Support and Hot Wheels after fire

By Madison Park

CNN

(CNN) -- After the fire, all that was left of Reyes' massive

Hot Wheels collection was a piece of metal that once was part of a

toy car.

But on Wednesday, the arrival of two cardboard boxes at his

grandparents' house sent 7-year-old flying to the door, said

his mother, Jan Reyes.

Mattel, the company that makes Hot Wheels, sent racetracks, play

sets, stickers, folders, T-shirts, hats and hundreds of toy cars.

" He was speechless, " Reyes said. " He didn't say anything. He just

smiled. He opened it up. It was like Christmas. All of us were

bawling, crying. He was so happy. "

, who has autism, meticulously collected more than 500 Hot

Wheels. But all that was destroyed when his Sylmar home, along with

hundreds of other structures, were burned down by wildfires in Los

Angeles County.

Toys are like anchors for children with autism, psychologists say.

They like to play with the same toys, eat familiar foods and be in a

consistent environment. When faced with unpredictable changes, they

can feel frustrated or anxious and become disruptive, according to

experts.

On Tuesday, and his parents searched for his toys among

piles of debris, but they found only a piece of a Hot Wheels car and

a rusty tricycle. The rest of 's toys were reduced to ashes.

Watch the Reyes family return to their home. »

Mattel, with headquarters in El Segundo, California, wanted to get

involved after hearing on CNN that , who had been collecting

Hot Wheels since he was 2, had lost everything. Looking for hope in

the ashes.

" We wanted to send as many as possible, " said Deborah Dicochea,

associate manager of the Mattel Children's Foundation, which sends

toys globally to children affected by crisis. " With autistic

children, they like sorting them, arranging them. "

Offers of toys, a computer, resources to connect to other families

dealing with autism and financial donations have been pouring into

the family.

" It's wonderful, because he literally lost every toy he had, " Reyes

said. " He had a personal attachment to all of his toys. Part of

autism is they have a little connection to everything and his biggest

thing was to his cars. For Mattel to send him the cars and tracks,

it's just incredible. He is so happy. "

The toll of the disruption to 's life is starting to become

evident. He has been throwing more frequent tantrums as his parents

are trying to establish a new routine. But the toys definitely have

helped, Reyes said.

" The cars were like gold, " she said.

All AboutAutism • Fires

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