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WNY's Great Kids: Angels for Andy

A Salamanca 7-yr-old launched a snow angel video challenge to raise funds for cystic fibrosis.

13-year-old Andy Herrick and 7-year-old Addy Earley are cousins and self-proclaimed best friends.

"She's the sweetest little girl in the world and I love spending time with her," said Andy. 

"I just love him a lot and he loves me," said Addy. 

They're inseparable. So Addy has watched as Andy has lived with cystic fibrosis his entire life.

"I'm not going to let it stop me from being a normal kid," he said.

Still, Addy wanted to do something help him. And that's how "Angels for Andy" was born.

Click here for a link to the Facebook page.

"We went out and did a snow angel and I just thought it was a good idea to raise money. I'll do whatever it takes to help him," said Addy. 

"Honestly when I saw it I wasn't surprised because she's the type of person that would do something like that," said Andy. 

Now the challenge has taken on a life of its own in Salamanca and throughout the Southern Tier, with dozens doing a partially clothed snow angel and then challenging others to do the same.

Andy's uncle Steve Brundage is the one who nominated Addy to be this week's "Great Kid" and of course he took the challenge too.

"It's really been remarkable to see what a girl with a huge heart can do to change the world around her," said Brundage. 

All of the videos are helping to raise awareness about the disease. The average life expectancy for someone with cystic fibrosis is age 40.

Even though the annual medical costs for Andy top $500,000, the family isn't keeping a penny raised through these videos. They're donating it all to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for research to find a cure.

They've raised more than $3,000 so far.

"It's just nice to help other people," said Addy. 

"It's just incredible the amount of support I get and it motivates me to push through everything everyday," said Andy. "And things like this are the reason I'm  doing so well." 

Just as the snow angels leave an impression on the ground, the "Angels for Andy" leave an impression on the entire community.

The Daybreak team accepted the snow angel challenge from Brundage. Now they've nominated Scott Levin and Mary Alice Demler. Will they accept the challenge, too?

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