In spring, we begin to see lemonade stands popping up with enthusiastic children flagging people down as they pass by. Isabella Blickley is a fourth-grade student at South Salem Elementary School and she had a great idea a few weeks ago. Instead of a lemonade stand, she decided to have a bake sale in her driveway to raise money for charity. Isabella talked to her mom and enlisted the help of two friends, Sadie Muller and Anastasia Theodoropoulos. The organization she chose to support is Operation Smile, which provides free surgeries for children with cleft lips and palates.
On a Sunday, they turned the Blickley kitchen into a mini bakery. They made chocolate chip cookies, brownies and over 70 beautifully decorated cupcakes using YouTube videos for design ideas and techniques.
On Monday, May 23, the girls set up their stand after school. Isabella’s little sister, Sophia, decided to sell lemonade and Sadie’s little sister, Vivian, helped her. Anastasia’s brother, Steven, helped out by sending people over to the table as they left the school. Their house is around the corner from Salem, so they had lots of classmates, teachers and even the principal stop by to support them. They sold everything and raised enough money to provide the surgery for one child. The girls had a great sense of achievement. They hope to make this an annual event.
