Asher Sullivan loved collecting stuffed animals. He had hundreds of them. His family continued to collect them for him when he was in the hospital last spring and at his Celebration of Life the following summer.

Since then, the Sullivan family has given away about 1,800 stuffed animals that people donated, according to Asher’s mom, Kaycee Sullivan. They have collected more than 2,500 so far. Last fall, they created the charity Asher’s Animals, and they continue to collect stuffed animals in honor of Asher.

Asher, son of Dr. Jimmy and Kaycee Sullivan, and brother of Declan Sullivan, passed away at the age of 10 on May 18, 2024, 10 days after he was sucked into a storm drain when his family was outside with neighbors, cleaning up after a severe storm.

“Responders found him about 15 minutes after he went underground, and they were able to bring him back, so we had 10 days in the hospital with him,” Kaycee Sullivan said.

Because of the efforts of first responders, Asher was able to be an organ donor. Dr. Jimmy Sullivan, who is director of Rutherford County Schools, shared on social media in 2024 that Asher was able to save four lives.

The Sullivan Family: Declan, Dr. Jimmy, Kaycee and Asher

“Because of the responders and everyone else doing a good job for us, we were able to get that time with Asher,” Kaycee said. “We are thankful we had that time when family and friends could visit.

“This is when we got the idea to collect the stuffed animals. It was a close friend’s suggestion. Her son and several of Asher’s other friends had visited him in the Ronald McDonald Room on the pediatric floor of the ICU at Vandy. Kids get stuffed animals there. One of Asher’s friends got one, and it meant a lot to him, and he held it dear for that whole time.”

Asher’s Animals will continue to keep the local boy’s memory alive.

“I think Asher would be proud of this,” his mother said. “He would be happy to know that other boys and girls were getting a kind of comfort from an animal when they are in a situation that is scary or where they don’t know what is going on.”

With their first set of donations of stuffed animals, the Sullivans were able to donate 200 animals to the Ronald McDonald House, 200 to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and then also to the Hematology-Oncology floor, where Asher’s brother Declan was treated for cancer and the family spent a lot of time. Declan is now a seventh grader at Central Magnet School, and he organized a stuffed animal drive at his school.

“We were also able to donate 200 animals to each group of our local area responders,” Sullivan said. “We gave them to the police, the fire and the EMS services so they can keep a few animals with them to give to kids when they come upon accidents or something scary.”

Children and parents can pick out and donate animals together as a way to help make someone’s day better.

“And it can give parents a way to age-appropriately explain about Asher—that he is in heaven and that this is to give other boys and girls some happiness,” Sullivan said. “This is a good thing and an easy thing for small children to do.” 

Kaycee Sullivan with over 400 stuffed animals that were donated to students at
Hobgood Elementary for Read Across America week

Asher’s Animals has been able to find a lot of local organizations that can take donations. They have been able to take some to the Isaiah 117 House and the Kymari House. They are also finding people who can take just a small amount here and there. They have brought them to Blue Monarch in Hillsboro, Tennessee, which is a recovery center for moms where their kids can live with them.

Students at Hobgood Elementary select their stuffed animals 

“It’s been beneficial to me to see that there are so many different places Asher’s Animals can help,” Sullivan said.

Those interested in helping can connect with the cause on the Asher’s Animals Facebook page; look for information on donation events posted there.

“We have been very grateful for the community support.”

Stuffed animal donations can be made at Rutherford County Schools Central Office, 2240 Southpark Dr., Murfreesboro. They will accept as many stuffed animal donations as people can bring.

“The more the merrier,” said James Evans, chief communications officer for Rutherford County Schools.

For more information on Asher’s Animals, find the organization on Facebook or call 931-224-5786.