Warmth for the winter

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- A mother is celebrating her son’s birthday by giving warmth to the homeless.

Sebastian Longstreth is a six-year-old with Downs Syndrome and a disease called Tracheomalacia where he is fed through his stomach. His birthday is January 23rd and his mother Shannon is giving gifts to more people than her son. Shannon said every year on Sebastian’s birthday they do some type of drive for charity. She said last year they did hats off for the homeless because of Sebastian’s love of hats. This year will be warmth for the homeless.

“We are providing them blankets, gloves, hot hands, I mean it’s really cold out there and last I knew there was a 100 count for the homeless. That’s just ones we can keep track of. Our goal is to raise 150 blankets,” said Shannon.

‘Sebastian’s Journey’ is a Facebook page that has tracked moments of his life. Over 48,000 people follow the Facebook group. Shannon said it shows that Sebastian has over 48,000 friends

“He was on a ventilator, very very sick little boy. This was a way to document his life. So when he would get older, and I knew he would, he’d be fine. That he could see how much people love him and he could learn about the community and give back. It just grew. It’s not a sad page. It’s a page about milestones being celebrated big and small,” said Shannon.

If you would like to donate a new blanket or anything else to help keep the homeless warm this winter you can purchase items on Amazon. The donations will be handed out on Sebastian’s birthday. If you live near the Zanesville area you can also reach out of ‘Sebastian’s Journey.‘