OTTAWA -- A talented young Kingston artist has raised over $10,000 for charity by selling her drawings as Christmas cards.

The holiday cards have Gnomes on them, dressed up as Santa, and even a snowman.

Twelve-year-old Lilia Essaddam sells them for $5 each, and donates the profits to charities that support the homeless of Kingston.

It’s called "Gnome for a Home."

It started two years ago, while her and her mother were out Christmas shopping.

"There was a Christmas vibe going on, and it was really nice," she says. "Then I saw a homeless (person) and I felt really bad. He was not having a good Christmas, so I started drawing gnome cards."

Lobna Cherif says her daughter would ask to take her around downtown even from a young age, looking to give people extra money when they could. She says it was always something she wanted to do.

"I used to tell her, well, you grow up, you go to university, and you change this world for those people," Cherif says. "When she was 10 years old...she said, 'I’m not going to wait until I go to university. I’m going to change the world for them now.'"

At first, she made just 100 cards, but the demand grew. Now, Essaddam has drawn and sold over 1,000 cards, raising more than $10,000.

"From kids who are four years old giving Lilia their allowances to buy her cards," says Cherif. "To organizations giving donations as big as $1,000. Everyone's supporting her so much."

Lilia Essaddam

She’s even expanded her line, to now include tote bags and t-shirts, available to buy online.

She’s attracted buyers from all over the world.

"The most farthest was Australia," smiles Essaddam.

She won’t be stopping her quest to help those who need it, the young entrepreneur tells CTV News Ottawa, she has big plans for the future.

"My first focus is Kingston, then Ontario, then Canada, then, like, the world," she says. "Well, which may not happen - but it can!"