Driven to Give

The members of the Horton family talk donation drives, caregiving, and raising compassionate children
By Ellen Orr

photo by shane darby.

Last school year, 12-year-old Charlie Jack Horton noticed something troubling among his classmates at Texas Middle School. “I would see a bunch of kids that didn’t have backpacks, and so they would carry all their stuff—their folders, binders, Chromebooks,” he said. “They would carry them around to every class, and stuff would get lost. I thought that, if they had a backpack, then it would lower the chance of stuff getting lost and help with moving from class to class.”

Last summer, with the help of his mother, Amanda, Charlie Jack recorded a video. “Each year, my fellow classmates start school in need of a backpack. Chromebooks, binders, and supplies are very heavy,” he emphasized in the video. “I’m putting together a backpack drive to help those in need.” Once the video was shared on social media, donations began pouring in. Charlie Jack collected around 40 backpacks, which were then distributed by TISD staff before the start of the 2025–2026 school year.

Earlier this year, Avalene raised money for her school, Morriss Elementary, by baking pecan pies in exchange for donations—as her brother did in 2019. submitted photo.

Taking care of the people around him comes naturally to the seventh grader, who has grown up learning firsthand from his mother.

“[Our kids’] strength comes from Mama,” Jason Horton said. “She has a mentality of, ‘Let’s get to work.’ She goes above and beyond to do what she has to do to help somebody.”

With friend Isaac Steel, Charlie Jack collected canned foods for a BSA food drive. submitted photo.

Amanda Raney Horton came to understand caretaking earlier than most. At age four, her teenage brother suffered an accident that resulted in paralysis. “Their mother, Patsy [Raney], was an amazing, amazing woman,” Jason said. “She jumped right in [as a caretaker]. I’m from a different way of life, but [the Raneys] are ‘get your hands dirty, fix the problem, and let’s make it right.’ I think Amanda has had that mentality her whole life.”

“You can’t wallow, and you can’t get stuck in self-pity,” Amanda said. “If you can’t find any joy—it’s there, so you’ve got to look for it, or you’ve got to create it. And I think a lot of that is [found] in doing things for others.”

Patsy was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the early 2010s. As the disease progressed, the family painstakingly decided that it was time for Patsy to move into a memory care facility. Although Amanada would have never imagined herself in this position, she drove Patsy to the facility and walked her inside. When Amanda told Patsy what they were there for, in typical Patsy style, she said, “That sounds like something I need,” and walked right in. 

Charlie Jack and Avalene have treasured bonds with their Gabby, the late Patsy Raney, and Gumpy, Charles Raney. submitted photo.

Given the circumstances, Amanda worried that Charlie Jack and his younger sister, Avalene (now 9), would not get to develop relationships with their grandmother. Fortunately, that fear was unfounded. Throughout the disease’s cruel progression, Charlie Jack and Avalene built strong bonds with their beloved “Gabby.”

“One of the last times Avalene saw Patsy, we got a picture of her sitting on Patsy’s lap,” Jason said. “Nursing homes can sometimes feel awkward, but Avalene didn’t want to leave.” Jason explained that, while many younger people perceive older, sicker people as “frail” or hard to connect with, Avalene recognized from a young age her grandmother’s humanity. “She knew she was a person, and she loved her,” Jason said. “Both of our kids, with Amanda being as brave as she is—they’ve just clicked with that a lot earlier in life than others [do].”

Patsy died in 2024. This fall, Avalene honored her Gabby in the best way she knew how—by helping others.

“My grandma would always want to hold my baby dolls whenever I brought them, whenever I got to see her,” Avalene said. “Charlie did a backpack drive, so I thought it would be good to have a baby doll drive. There’s a lot of people that have Alzheimer’s, and I wanted to make them happy.”

Avalene distributed baby dolls to residents at multiple memory care facilities, including McKee Assisted Living and Memory Care. submitted photo.

Following in her brother’s video-making footsteps, Avalene shared her call across Facebook. More than 60 dolls were donated, and Avalene personally distributed them to patients at multiple local memory care facilities. “I got to see their joy and happiness,” she said. “It was really fun to see them having fun with the baby dolls, rocking them and taking care of them.”

The Hortons are quick to mention the care that they have received from others—family, friends, and community members—in times of need, especially during Amanda’s recent experience with breast cancer. Charlie Jack expressed gratitude for the care packages he received from his parents’ friends, as well as those from his classmates at TMS. Unlike many families, the Hortons chose to include their children in much of their mother’s treatment and recovery process.

In 2020, the Horton family fundraised for, purchased, and delivered 3,700 water bottles for TISD elementary students. Due to COVID-19 precautions, water fountains were unavailable to students. submitted photo.

“[Seeing my mom experience cancer] showed me how much of a fighter my mom is, and how she can go through anything and everything, and she’ll still love us the same and be here for us,” Charlie Jack said of the experience. “And I think it has made me a better person. I know what it looks like [to go through cancer], and if someone else is going through that, I can help them.”

“It worries me some that they both have such caring, giving, loving hearts,” Amanda said. “They’re old souls. It worries me that they’ve maybe been exposed to too much—but, you know, it’s life. As long as you talk it out, deal with it, and don’t suppress it, I think it will be alright in the end.”

“If something bad happens, instead of stepping back and saying, ‘Oh man, that’s bad,’ our kids will be like, ‘Let me fix it,’” Jason said, adding that he himself did not develop that instinct until much later in life. “They already know that, if somebody needs help, you just help them.”

Growing up around disability, dementia, cancer, and—most importantly—unrelenting love has undoubtedly shaped the Horton children. These experiences “made you more empathetic, though you’ve always kind of been that way,” Amanda said to her kids. “You understand that people”—those without backpacks, with dementia, using wheelchairs, in chemotherapy—“are just people.”

Avalene and Charlie Jack joined Amanda on her first walk after undergoing a bilateral mastectomy in 2023. submitted photo.

While Jason and Amanda want Charlie Jack and Avalene to understand and appreciate the tangible benefits of hard work, they understand that being exposed to those benefits can be a very slippery slope. “Somebody once told me [when referring to a family’s lifestyle], ‘Be careful, because the parent’s maximum is the child’s minimum,’” Jason shared. “So we’re cognizant—especially Amanda—to teach them that, if you are able to give, then give.”

Amanda and Jason hope that practicing gratitude, having empathy, and maintaining a giving spirit will set Avalene and Charlie Jack up for more fulfilling, compassionate, and joyful lives.