10-year-old founded non-profit

AUSTIN (KXAN) - From the time of his diagnosis with Common Variable Immune Deficiency at age two, little Devon Vogel has had mountains to climb.

The condition, a serious disorder, prevents his white blood cells from maturing and leaves his body unable to "remember" past illnesses. As a consequnce, he has had chicken pox seven times now.

A random infection is often enough to send him to the hospital for weeks at a time. The now seven year-old is unable to go swimming, to eat in the school lunch room or romp on a playground.

At 25 months, he entered the hospital for the first of many treatments with IVIG, also known as Human Blood Product. Devon's big sister, Brianna, picks up the story.

"He has an illness kind of like 'Bubble Boy Syndrome,'" she said. "And so every month, he has to go and take treatment."

In the beginning, Brianna, who was only four at the time, would sometimes join the family at the hospital. The visits were downright boring.

"There was nothing to do but play with 'Mr. Potato Head,'" she said. "I noticed that the walls were coated in art. I'm like, 'They need an art supplier,' because they were all out. So that's how it started; Devon was my inspiration."

What Devon started was Brianna's determination to collect art supplies for hospitalized children and money to buy the stuff. She began setting up fund-raising booths wherever she could. She sought donations of money and art supplies and turned them into "isolation bags" full of art stuff for the sick children. Her parents figured all that would last about a month.

"But I was like, 'Wait, this is too much fun,'" she said. "Why just do it for a month and then quit? So it's been going on for about five-and-a-half years now."

In 2007, Pennies of Love, as Brianna christened her cause, became an official 501(c) non-profit corporation. All together, her parents estimate, she has raised right at $12,000 and donations of art supplies that fill several rooms in the family home.

Feb. 13, the Driskill Hotel will host an art show to benefit Pennies of Love. Among the items to be sold will be a painting of the University of Texas Tower, sporting the Number One and signed by head UT football coach Mack Brown. The sale begins at 10:00 AM and runs through 3:00 PM.

Young Devon has an opinion about all this.

"Pretty cool!" he said.