Brianna Jones: 'Kids Care'
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| Hannah Backiel,8, sold lemonade at Brianna's Bake Sale, which raised money for Hurricane Katrina victims. |
With about 11 hours of planning and work stretched over three days, Brianna pulled together a Hurricane Katrina victim bake sale fundraiser that generated over $1,300 within a four-hour span.
The money will be donated to the American Red Cross.
'From My Heart'
The bake sale success put a big smile on Brianna's face.
“It feels good,” she said. “It’s from my heart. I want people to know that kids care.”
After watching television news reports about the devastation, homelessness, hunger and heartbreak surrounding the people of the Gulf Coast, Brianna decided to act.
<L2>“I decided on Wednesday [Aug.31] that I was going to do something,” she said. “First I thought about a lemonade stand and then I said, ‘ok, I can have cookies, too.’”
Later that evening, Brianna’s mother Deb Jones and her father Rick Jones suggested scheduling a Saturday morning [Sept.3] bake sale at the family’s 1263 North Hoosac Road home, Brianna said.
Brianna’s determination to raise money was rooted in the televised images she was seeing, said Rick Jones.
“She was pretty upset by it,” he said. “She accomplished all of this by working for about four hours on Wednesday, four hours on Thursday, and then on Friday after school. She did all the talking to people, the recruiting, the publicity, pretty much by herself.”
Getting the Job Done
Brianna marched herself into area convenience stores and supermarkets to seek contributions of paper products and other goods, called friends and family members to recruit bakers and bake sale assistants, visited a local newspaper office to generate publicity, and, with help from an elementary-school-aged volunteer crew, designed large signs to direct people to the sale.
“She just walked right up to people and told them what she was doing and what she needed,” said Deb Jones, who provided the transportation for Brianna’s treks. “And the local stores were just great, giving us balloons, paper products, everything.”
Brianna said that she knew that even someone as young as she could make a difference.
“I was really sad about what was happening,” she said. “I wanted to do something to help.”
Lemonaid
On Saturday morning, Brianna and her volunteer team, whose members ranged in age from four-year-old Cassidy Shea to 12-year-old Cassandra Sherman, staffed three cloth-covered tables laden with cookies, muffins, chocolate-and-caramel “turtle” bars, pies, apple-cider doughnuts, and more. A large container of lemonade stood nearby and those who purchased a $.50 cup of the tart beverage found a freshly sliced lemon wedge floating on top. Brianna’s crew apparently thought of almost everything; the busy little hands were sheathed in disposable food service gloves that were changed frequently.<R3>
And the customers arrived in force.
Friends, neighbors, teachers, relatives, travelers who happened by the balloon-adorned signs and even a busload of young people engaged in a community outing came and selected treats. As the sale progressed, a nearby neighbor delivered fresh garden-grown tomatoes to the sale table.
And the money rolled in.
"Ade for Aid"
Meanwhile, on Cole Avenue, Julia Conforti, 11, and Maggie Dewey, 11, were busy setting up an “Ade for Aid” beverage stand that offered cups of lemonade, fruit punch, and grape-flavored juice for $.25 each and five-cent cups of water. The stand opened for business at about 12:30 p.m.; by 12:45 p.m. the girls had served three customers and passing drivers were observed reading the sign and steering their vehicles off of the street to make a purchase.
Julia and Maggie are sixth-grade Williamstown Elementary School students. Television images were the catalyst that spurred the two friends into action, Julia and Maggie said.
“I was watching the news last night and I felt so sad for the people down there,” said Maggie.
The ambitious fundraising entrepreneurs said they believe that life is “hard,” “scary,” and “sad” for all Katrina’s victims, especially the children. All money raised from beverage sales will be donated to the American Red Cross, Maggie and Julia said.
<L4>The stand was slated to remain open until late afternoon.
“We’re prepared to sit here until four or five o’clock,” Maggie said.
Leading By Example
Back at the Jones home, the bake sale continued at a brisk pace until its' scheduled 2 p.m. conclusion. Nearly every morsel had been sold and the few remaining treats were offered to several adults gathered along the family yard.
There are lessons to be learned from the efforts of the children, said Deb Jones.
“I think they did a really fantastic job,” she said. “They didn’t complain at all. They had their plan, they sat down and had a little meeting and they decided who would do what. Then they worked on the signs.”
And they will never forget what they learned along the way, she added.<R5>
“One person will make a difference, even if that person is a kid.”
Brianna’s Bake Sale to Aid Victims of Hurricane Katrina received support from the following businesses:
TJs Convenience Store
Price Chopper Supermarket
Stop & Shop Supermarket
Redwood Motel
The Apple Barn [Bennington,Vt.]
Dunkin Donuts
The Williams Inn
Where’d You Get That?
Michael’s Restaurant
Store at Five Corners
DuraClean
Mount Williams Greenhouse
Al’s Auto Body Shop
Chef’s Hat Restaurant
Wild Oats Community Market
