Why She’s Interesting: During a hospital visit when she was 6 years old, Tryon was unable to color because the pediatric ward lacked crayons. In response, she created Help Me Color A Rainbow, a nonprofit organization that has now donated tens of thousands of crayon boxes to hospitals throughout the country.
Coloring Need: Being hospitalized with gastrointestinal issues and having no way to color fueled a passion Tryon didn’t even know she had. “I didn’t know how important coloring was until I couldn’t do it. I wanted to make sure no other kids have to be in a hospital without crayons.”
Feeling Good: Tryon’s first crayon donation of 13,132 boxes was to University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. It was an experience she will never forget. “It was so much fun and everyone was so nice and happy to get the crayons. I made so many friends when I was there.”
Crayon Creation: If Tryon had the opportunity to develop her own signature Crayola color, she would turn to the blue side of the box. “I would call my crayon ‘Swim Cool Aqua’ because I really like turquoise right now. But my favorite color changes every two years.”
Picture Perfect: Given a blank paper and some crayons, Tryon would draw her ideal day to include a horseshow competition with her parents looking proudly on. “I would color the horse’s body tan, his mane black, and the ribbon I would win would be blue, of course.”
Pint-Sized Power: Tryon muses that everything would look a lot sweeter if kids ran the world, with chocolate fountains on every corner and a never-ending supply of caramel for the citizenry. But she also has some serious-minded education reform in mind. “I would get rid of common core math. It’s supposed to be simple solutions, but there’s nothing simple about it.”
Fun Time: Strap on your dancing shoes, because Tryon would like to change the standard workday to include more dance-breaks, piping in Imagine Dragons, Taylor Swift and the Chainsmokers to get everyone up and moving. There also might be more barking. “Everyone should be able to bring their pets to work. It would make the day go faster.”
Sage Advice: Tryon has strong counsel for her under-10 peers who want to make a difference in the world. “Once you make a promise, you have to follow through so you don’t let anyone down. It takes time to get everything done, but if you focus, you’ll still have time to watch TV.”
Interesting Fact: 35,132: Number of crayon boxes Tryon has donated as of Dec. 5 to 19 hospitals.
