11-летний Ландон Нгуен печатает на 3D-принтере статуи пожарных для сбора средств в память о терактах 11 сентября

Landon Nguyen, an 11-year-old boy, has a big heart. He sells 3D-printed items and picks a charity each month to donate to. His journey started almost two years ago, when he saw someone sell 3D-printed dragons at The Big E in West Springfield, Mass. Stream Connecticut News for free, 24/7, wherever you are.   WATCH HERE “I overheard somebody ask their mom for one, and they said they couldn’t afford it. That really stuck with me,” Landon explained. “I wanted to make them affordable and high quality for everybody. That also kind of inspired me to give back to the community.” On his 10th birthday, his parents surprised him with a 3D printer. “We kind of surprised him, and it took off from there. He was selling [toys] to kids at school, and he blew up,” said Scott Nguyen, Landon’s Father. He now prints a variety of items, from animals to hype chains. Landon says each item can take from as little as 30 minutes to make to a total of 6 hours to assemble. In the month of September, he is taking part in a fundraiser hosted by Berlin Kiosks. The gift shop is raising money to donate to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. It was founded in the wake of the September 11th attacks to honor a firefighter who died that day. Now, the nonprofit supports fallen and injured first responders, veterans, and their families. Local Norwich 2 hours ago Man shot in parking lot of fast food restaurant in Norwich East Haven 2 hours ago Person significantly injured in assault at East Haven apartment This is now Landon’s second year participating in the fundraiser. He’s selling a 3D-printed statue replica of The Kneeling Fireman in New York, and remembrance magnets. He says all the money made from these items will go to the fundraiser. “When we interviewed Landon, Paul said to him when he told us he did a charity of the month, Paul said to him, September has to be Tunnel to Towers, and Landon jumped right on,” said Shelly Monica. She owns the store with her husband, Paul Viezer. For the owners, this fundraiser hits close to home. Viezer was a lieutenant at the time and responded to Ground Zero on September 11th. “It just amazes me what they saw that day, and they choose not to talk about it, including Paul. He just can’t talk about it. We asked him to go on camera today, and he couldn’t. So here I am speaking for him,” said Monica. As Monica pulled out a photo album from Viezer, she explained several of the pictures. “If you look at it, you could see debris everywhere. And then the top of the mailbox is the shiny blue US Postal service,” said Monica. "It just amazes me how there’s so much debris.” After the horror and destruction of that day, Monica said she’s grateful for organizations like Tunnel to Towers. Together, they and Landon donated just over $1,000 last year. However, he hopes to double that this year. “A lot of people helped me when I started, and that kind of wanted me to give back to others. That’s really just what makes me happy about that, because this is a way for me to give back,” said Landon. With a big heart and big dreams, Landon says he hopes to be a firefighter or an EMT when he’s older. For now, he’ll continue making 3D items to give back to the community.