Nine-year-old Zayin Berry from Somerton, Arizona, is reminding the world that compassion and courage have no age limit. His story — one of pure kindness and selflessness — has now earned him national recognition as the ASPCA’s 2025 “Kid of the Year.”

It all started at a local skate park when Zayin saw a group of older kids doing something unimaginable. “I’d seen the older kids tossing a baby kitten around like he was a football,” he recalled. “I was sad and mad because of the poor kitty.”

Without thinking twice, Zayin made a bold move. “I grabbed my skateboard and ran over to the kids and told them they could take my skateboard and play with it if they wanted to,” he said. “They stopped tossing the kitty around and took off with my board.”

The frightened kitten was badly hurt. “He was really hurt in his eyes and paws with yucky stuff all over him,” Zayin told People. “He was so small and little when I picked him up, he was meowing, and I ran over to my mom and told her I found this kitty, and he needs our help.”

His mom, Rhiannon Berry, still remembers that moment vividly. “You could hear its breathing was all congested and his paws were all caked with gunk on it,” she said. The family took the tiny orange kitten home, cleaned him up, and rushed him to the Humane Society of Yuma for emergency care.

Veterinarians discovered a severe eye infection and a respiratory illness. Sadly, despite their best efforts, one of the kitten’s eyes had to be removed. Zayin’s response? Pure love. “They told my mom that there was a possibility that once everything was done, he would lose his eye,” he said. “My mom and the shelter’s staff explained that to me, and I told them, ‘I don’t care as long as he lives, because he’s my best friend.’”

The little cat — now named Peaches for his orange-and-cream coloring — recovered beautifully after surgery. Humane Society spokesperson Lauren Twerdak said, “For Zayin to have that care and that drive at such a young age is honestly outstanding.”

Word of Zayin’s skateboard trade spread quickly through the Yuma community. Local businesses rallied around him, donating skate gear and gift cards to replace the board he gave away. Others helped cover medical costs and adoption fees for Peaches, who is now a permanent member of the Berry family.

Today, Peaches and Zayin are inseparable. “He loves me and sleeps right next to my face and gives me kisses in the morning,” Zayin said. “We’re meant to be together, and I saved him. He’s mine. He is my best friend.”

At the ASPCA Humane Awards ceremony on October 9 at New York’s Plaza Hotel, Zayin and Peaches appeared together onstage — a beautiful symbol of compassion in action.

It’s a story that reminds us how small acts of love can have eternal impact. Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these… you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Zayin’s courage shows that when we lead with love, even a nine-year-old’s skateboard can change a life — and touch countless others in the process.