Innovative, focused, industrious, ambitious, entrepreneurial. These are the words that come to mind describing a successful businessperson. But what if these are just some of the words describing 13-year-old Leasider Wyatt Dickey?
Over the past two years, Wyatt has built a successful business named Wyatt WERX, featuring year-round lawn and garden care, ski tuning as well as the design and production of hockey-related items.
Wyatt is not just a successful and talented entrepreneur; he’s also a person with a very big heart who has turned his talents and profits to helping others.
While he was building a client list around the neighbourhood for his garden care services, Wyatt soon realized there were seniors on his own street who also required help with their grass, weeds, seeding, leaves, snow removal and odd yard jobs. With no interest in payment or acknowledgment, Wyatt began taking care of their properties.
In addition to lawn services and ski tuning, Wyatt upcycles used hockey sticks and pucks found abandoned in arenas and creates stickhandling trainers for both on and off the ice, small benches, coffee tables, side tables and other special-order items, which he sells on Kijiji and through word of mouth. Instead of keeping all the earnings for himself, Wyatt has used a good portion of it for charitable purposes.
Discovering that some families don’t have the means to send their kids to summer camp, Wyatt, who has long loved his own camp experiences, teamed up with a couple of friends to pool their money to send a child to camp, through an anonymous program. His most recent charitable cause has been very meaningful. As a teen who loves sport and participates in hockey, lacrosse, baseball and skiing, Wyatt decided to share his income with athletes with special needs.
Through the Special Olympics “Draft an Athlete” program, Wyatt has already sponsored two athletes and plans to sponsor at least one more before the Provincial Games take place this July in Brantford, Ont.
Instead of going to camp this summer, Wyatt will continue to grow his business and volunteer his time at the Summer Games. Seeing the needs of others, great or small, “makes me feel thankful for all I have,” says Wyatt of his philanthropy.
Glen Gretzky, chairman of the advisory committee for the SOO Summer Games, comments that “it is remarkable that at his young age he is putting others first and contributing positively to his own community and to the Special Olympics Summer Games. His sponsoring two athletes helps them with travel, meal and hotel expenses. Wyatt is enabling athletes to share in the joy of sport, make new friends and be part of the great team community.”
A savvy, generous and humble teen, Wyatt is a true example of a young person with talent and compassion.
To see Wyatt’s range of products or to book lawn care, contact him at or visit wyattwerx.ca (coming soon).
