Bake Sale for Haiti Relief

When I was a kid, I used to have bake sales all the time with my neighborhood friends. But what we were doing was earning extra pocket money, not raising money to help the needy. Not so for the kids I met today. A local 6th grader named Claire has a finely tuned global view. While most kids (and adults for that matter) have a limited perspective and are mainly focused on their own wants and needs, Claire and her friends were so impacted by the devastation in Haiti that they decided to give up their day off from school and raise money for the Haitians effected by the massive earthquake.

The bake sale, organized almost entirely by Claire (pictured here on crutches :( and her foot in a cast), was a huge success. Baked goods were made by the children and their families or donated to the cause. The sale was scheduled from 12-3 at the fire station on Frederick road - Claire did all the leg work for setting up the event - and for the hour and a half that I was in the area there was a steady stream of traffic the whole time! It's great to see kids getting involved... hopefully it inspires some of us adults to do the same.

The kids were really working hard to bring in donations... waving signs, calling out to people on the sidewalk, talking with people as they came to check out the baked goods. From talking with some of the girls involved, I found out that someone donated a hundred dollars (thank you, whoever you are)! And while they had a huge spread on 3 folding tables when I arrived at 1pm, by the time I left at 2:30 there were only a few items left.

Tragic events like earthquakes, hurricanes, wild fires and tsunamis are kind of bittersweet in a certain way. Tragedies bond us as a human race and make us more aware of the suffering that happens to the less fortunate everyday. It is heartbreaking to see the pain, death and loss that follows an event like this, but at the same time it is encouraging to watch the outpouring of care and love from the rest of the world. And it is especially heartening to see children giving their time and efforts to help... it's a good sign for the next generation. And it's my hope that this group of kids will inspire others, like Steve Whistler's boys pictured here, to get involved to help those who need it all over the world and here in our own backyard.

Oh yeah... and the brownies and banana bread I bought... delicious!