For fourth-grader Sarah Sun, it was just a normal day of organizing her clothes and other items when a light bulb went off in her mind. Little did she know that this typical activity would spark an idea for an organization to help children less fortunate than her.
Upon sifting through her old clothing, she realized how much waste she would create by just throwing out all of her old things and decided that she wanted to go green.
With the assistance of her family, she researched an organization called China Overseas Education Foundation, which strives to provide education for children who cannot afford to pay for it. The thought of partnering with this charity created the perfect combination for going green while also helping other children get an education. And with that, her own organization was created.
Sun named her organization Self-serve Mini Donation Station. She and her family created a website where she posts items that she no longer needs. People are then able to contact her to reserve items for no charge in the hope that the people receiving the items will donate money.
Once Sun has reached her current goal of $100, the money will be sent to the China Overseas Education Foundation to help one child go to school for one year.
“It makes me feel happy, excited and determined to reach my goal,” Sun said about helping other children. She has recently added another component to her organization. She creates handmade cardholders, which she refers to as Q wallets, and is selling them for $20 each.
Currently, she has reached 33 percent of her goal and hopesto continue to gain support and donations for this cause to help as many children as possible.
To gather support among her peers, Sun made a presentation to her Chinese class in January, and she presented to her fourth-grade class at Lakeville elementary school in February.
For those who would like to get involved in helping Sun reach her goal, she asks for the community to “spread the word, give items and donate money” toward the Self-serve Mini Donation Station. To learn more about her organization and how to get involved, visit her website at http://mininonprofit.weebly.com.
