“This all transpired because our five year old daughter Harper asked me in December if she could have a 🍋 stand.”
Kids Helping Kids
Kids have boundless energy! Whether it's building sandcastles, playing house, or going to the park down the street, kids bring an infectious energy to everything they do.
Sarah DeCicco's daughter, Harper, wanted to have a lemonade stand:
She had it all worked out. How it should look and the colors we (her family meaning mom, dad, and grandparents or any family who was in town) had to wear, which turned out to be yellow because it’s a lemonade stand of course!
Talk about bringing the whole family together! Harper clearly has the beginnings of a future food and beverage CEO!
I pulled up six different charities as [Harper] told me she didn’t want to keep the proceeds…she wanted to give the money to kids who might need it. So out of the six charities, she chose Shoes That Fit!
We love the idea of giving kids the ability to choose a charity—it teaches them the importance of giving back while simultaneously helping them feel invested in the project.
We told our friends and family about her idea for her lemonade stand. Her grandparents who don’t live far from us decided we should have it at their house so we set up the day before the event.
My husband and her grandfather used a lot of squeezing those I have to say. Never knew how much work went into making lemonade. [Harper] squeezed as much as she could and then added the sugar and water and did the stirring of the blend. It chilled over night and we were all set for her 12 PM to 3 PM debut.
Many of her friends came out to support her and those who couldn’t whether friends or family sent it to me directly…I did have a few people who asked if I could wait till they got back from vacation before I sent it in. So I did.
At Shoes That Fit, we know that having the right shoes helps build strong kids, and we love that Harper used her fundraiser to strengthen the bonds of her community.
It was so great seeing her get excited about how many kids she was going to help as the day progressed. Obviously she doesn’t know the amount in the sense that we do, but she knows she is helping kids that might need help. But in addition, it was wonderful to see see her friends, family and community rally behind her and we’re excited to share with them what they helped her accomplish and the impact they also contributed to making this happen .She wants to do it again.
Thanks, Sarah—we'll keep our eyes open for the next Harper's Lemonade Stand!
5 Creative Fundraisers for Kids!
Kids have great capacity for giving back and helping those less fortunate. And we are both impressed and grateful for their partnership this past year! Here are just a few of our favorite stories of the creative ways kids are making a impact through Shoes That Fit:
1. Host A Class Service Project
The fourth-graders at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Claremont, California, raised funds to give new shoes to 56 local kids! And then they decorated the shoeboxes to make the delivery extra meaningful.
2. Make a Giving Book
Judy Lightfoot from Washington State made “giving books” for her grandkids Aife and Niall to teach them about generosity and giving to help others. She took notebooks, pasted in pictures and logos for 12 different charities—including Shoes That Fit!—and gave eight tokens each for the kids to allot their gifts, explaining,
“Once you are done, Nonno and Nonna will sit down at the computer with you to make the donations online.” When they asked about the 12 charities, Judy answered, “Why these charities? Because they are among the thousands that get high grades from Charity Navigator for using their money well to help the causes they serve.”
3. Celebrate a Birthday for Kids in Need
Jennifer E. from San Diego wanted to celebrate her daughter’s birthday in a special way. So she invited the birthday guests to give kids new shoes via Shoes That Fit! Guests gave in her daughter’s honor and made a lasting difference for kids.
4. Give Through Busykid
Many kids give to charities through BusyKid, an app for tracking their allowance and cash earned through chores and odd jobs. BusyKid connects them to nonprofit partners so they can give away some of what they make… and some of these kids are choosing to help other kids by choosing Shoes That Fit as their BusyKid charity!
5. Start a Running Club (or any other kind of club!)
Vicki Tyler from Manhattan Beach, CA started a Run Club at her kids’ school. The kids track their miles for each run and once they reach 26.2 miles Vicki donates a pair of shoes in their name to a kid in need at a local school. She has provided over 500 New athletic shoes for children in need.
“Some kids have never had a new pair of shoes or experienced the joy of walking out of a shop wearing their new shoes. I remember that feeling as a kid, and almost bouncing out of the shop! The simple goal is to help more fortunate kids pay it forward through shoes.”
It’s Kids Helping Kids one mile at a time!