For a fourth year, 11-year-old Luke Hoag of Hoosick Falls has been collecting letters to Santa and this year marks the biggest haul yet, bringing in 77,000 letters.
This year, for the first time, letters have come in from all 50 states, "I was very excited. Once I saw that it was going quickly for all the states I thought, maybe we will get all the states. And that got my confidence boosted up."
The letters were delivered Friday to the Macy's in Colonie Center. Macy's is donating a dollar for every letter received through Christmas Eve to Make-A-Wish.
Make-A-Wish Northeast New York CEO Bill Trigg said, "He wants other seriously ill kids to be able to have the same opportunity that he had because he knows that a wish, not only does it have great healing power. When you look at a young man like this, the other thing a wish experience does is to help these kids do more and be more with their lives than they ever thought possible."
Luke started collecting letters because Make-a-Wish sent him to Disney World when he was 3, after he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Photos: WGY News