DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. — A Virginia police sergeant’s 9-year-old son who created comfort kits to help first responders support children with autism has been named TIME’s Kid of the Year for 2026.
Ledger Mann’s project, LGM Bags, puts sensory and comfort items in clear backpacks for police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel to use during emergencies. His family has assembled and given out more than 475 bags across six states, according to TIME.
Ledger, who is autistic, developed the idea after his father, Prince George County Police Sgt. JT Mann, told him about a search for a missing child with autism, TIME reported.
Responders found the child inside a storage cabinet beneath a gas grill on his family’s deck in Prince George County. Mann used a video on his phone to help draw the child out.
After hearing about the call, Ledger wanted his father to have more options available to help children feel comfortable.
The backpacks have items such as stuffed animals, blankets, fidget toys, headphones and sunglasses. A dry-erase board gives children who do not communicate verbally another way to respond to questions, according to TIME. The clear backpacks let children see the contents and point to an item they want.
Ledger used about $100 of his savings to pay for the first four kits. His family later sought donations from community organizations, churches and first responder groups as requests grew, TIME reported.
The family also worked to make the bags accessible during calls. Kits were placed at locations where nearby responders could pick one up without returning to their own station.
Children can keep the items they choose. Responders retain the backpacks and replace supplies as they are used, according to TIME.
Ledger’s parents, older brother and volunteers help assemble the kits. The family also visits agencies to deliver bags and help others put together their own.
Those visits have helped Ledger build a collection of challenge coins and patches given to him by first responders. LGM Bags now has its own patch and coin, an idea Ledger proposed and helped bring to life with his designs, according to TIME.
Now, Ledger wants to reach departments across the country.
“I want to have this go everywhere,” Ledger told TIME. “To all of America!”
