Boy believes giving is better than receiving.

When Brandon Lutz of Glen Ridge, New Jersey, an affluent suburb of Newark, celebrated his seventh birthday this year, he made an unusual birthday request. Instead of presents for himself, he wanted his guests to donate money to the Greater Newark Fresh Air Fund to help send a child to summer camp. Each year, the fund sends about 500 underprivileged boys and girls from Newark and other cities to summer camps in rural settings for a week or two.

Brandon shared his wishes with his family and the 15 guests who came to his birthday party--which had a tae-kwon-do theme--and they eagerly complied. Brandon's mother, Emily Lutz, estimated that donations amounted to almost $200.

"Everyone was so supportive and thought it was great. They told Brandon how generous they thought he was, which added to his excitement," Mrs. Lutz told the Newark Star-Ledger.

Brandon explained his reasons for forgoing the usual birthday gifts in favor of sending another kid to camp: "I love going to camp, and so I know how it would feel if they don't go to camp. I want people to feel happy instead of sad."

Mrs. Lutz told the newspaper about what inspired Brandon's interest in the camp program. She explained that during his first-grade classes last term, he gained an appreciation for children who were not as fortunate as he was.

"He's been learning in school about children in different parts of the world who are not as well off as we are here, and he said he wanted to help other children," she said. "We said ... there was a place very close to us for kids who don't have the opportunity to go do things during the summer like he does."

Now a second grader, Brandon is already making plans for his eighth birthday: "I think I might want to donate money again.... I want to do it to the Fresh Air Fund. It makes me feel happy, since I know that it makes people feel happy."