When Bailey Snow learned there are 62 Lego bricks for every person on Earth,

he found deeper meaning in what others could easily write off as little more than an interesting factoid. “I have a lot of my own personal Legos,” he explains, “so it made me realize that many kids have no Legos, and [things] just grew from there.”

Snow, a 16-year-old junior at Granite Bay High School, founded BrickDreams in May of 2012 with a simple goal in mind: Provide Legos to children in need. To that end, he solicits and collects donations of used bricks which he sorts, cleans and packs in tennis ball cans before personally distributing to local organizations serving children affected by violence and abuse. He tracks each donation on his blog and honors the families who share their unwanted bricks through photos and heartfelt thank-you posts.

Ariana Vaughan, a development associate at WEAVE, Inc., says her organization was the first to benefit from Snow’s enterprising generosity, which to date has resulted in the donation of approximately 260 pounds of bricks throughout multiple counties. “We immediately jumped on the opportunity, as these bricks can be therapeutic for young children,” she says. “When talking about the trauma they have experienced, children are often more open to talking when they have something to touch and play with.”

BrickDreams also supports Stand Up Placer, a nonprofit providing services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. According to the organization’s Community Affairs Coordinator Louise Czopek, Snow contacted her directly to offer donations, and she says she finds his work “inspiring.” “Bailey has chosen to take something he loves, Legos, and use it to benefit vulnerable kids in the area. It’s a tremendously creative way for him to help other children enjoy Legos and create positive experiences of their own,” Czopek says. “His example also shows other young people that they can find ways to make a difference in the community with the things that they enjoy.”

Investigator Angela Ford of the Placer County District Attorney’s Office works with young victims of abuse and believes BrickDreams is “changing the lives of children one Lego at a time. Bailey is a refreshing and motivational change to the kids I meet on a daily basis. He asks for no recognition or thanks. His thanks is knowing he is doing something to impact the lives of people he will probably never meet.”

As far as the organization’s future is concerned, Snow’s goals are as simple as ever and include continuing to collect bricks, finding empty tennis ball cans, and assembling volunteers to help sort more than 200 pounds of generously donated Legos just waiting to be shared with children in need. “I hope to see BrickDreams grow in the near future by simply giving more Legos to more children,” he says. “The more lives we can affect in a positive way, the better.”

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Visit brickdreams.com for more information.