Boy Raises $1,500 for Hospital

A 7-year-old Culver City boy finished his piano playing for tots campaign at a neighborhood grocery store Wednesday night by turning more than $1,500 over to Children’s Hospital.

Per the request of the young pianist, Nicholas King, half the money will go for medical needs and half will go to buying toys for sick children.

“This is what Christmas is about,” said Joy Waroniecki, a hospital representative who accepted the donation. “It’s going to make a lot of kids happy.”

Nicholas, who has been playing the instrument since he was 3 1/2 and aspires to be a concert pianist, was shopping with his parents on Dec. 15 when he saw a baby grand the store had rented for the holidays and sat down to play.

A man asked him to play a Christmas carol for a quarter, then another gave him a dollar. By the end of the night he had raised $5.25.

Remembering an episode of “Wheel of Fortune” where celebrity guests gave their money to the poor, Nicholas told his dad he wanted he wanted to give his proceeds to the hospital so “all the kids would be cured so they could go home for Christmas.”

He gave two to three hour daily performances at the store, playing between the hired pianist’s stints.

On Wednesday, he played from noon until 4 p.m., when the hospital spokeswoman arrived to collect the proceeds.

Since Tuesday, when The Times first wrote about the child’s campaign, scores of people turned out to Pavilions to hear and contribute, store officials said. One woman said she drove in from San Dimas to make a donation.

And moved by Nicholas’ gesture, the store itself contributed $500.

A hospital official said the child-instigated fund drive was unprecedented.

So are visits from children Nicholas’ age. Waroniecki said the hospital is seeking a waiver of the rules for their newest, youngest donor. Ordinarily, visitors must be at least 12.