The Road to Hope foundation was pleased to receive a $1,079 donation from a pair of seven-year-olds who put on a garage sale fundraiser July 10.
It was held at the home of Ava Garton, located at 2817 45 Ave., located in Athabasca's Cornwall neighbourhood. Her mother, Sheena Garton, said her little girl told her one day that she wanted to help people who had cancer.
"She did not feel anyone should be suffering from the disease, so she decided she wanted to help," Garton said. "So, her and her friend from Whispering Hills Primary School, Ayla Kiselyk, organized a garage sale and lemonade stand. The girls managed to bring a few of their friends together, took in donations, and held the sale."
As soon as her daughter heard about Road to Hope, Garton said that Ava and her friend decided that was where the money would go.
"It helps make life easier for patients who otherwise would not have the required transportation to get to their appointments," she said. "The girls felt it would be great to do their small part to help out."
Garton said people came and went during the day. She added that some even donated $10, even though they did not actually purchase anything.
"We had a very generous bunch of people come in throughout the day," she said. "We were only expecting to make about $200 from this sale, but in the end, we made more than $1,000. All in all, everything went great."
Madena Reimer, the transportation co-ordinator for Road to Hope, said she was very grateful to see the compassionate little souls wanting to make a difference for somebody else.
"It was unbelievable for the kids to have raised that much money," Reimer said. "People were so good in coming by to help them out when they found out the money was going to a good cause."
Reimer said that lots of people, even young children, can be affected by cancer.
"Even at a young age, these kids know that others their age can get really sick," she said. "They know that people do need help, and so for them to reach out like that on their summer holidays, and to want to do this is so overwhelming. It makes me teary-eyed to see this generosity."
She added that the $1,079 will go a long ways within the organization.
"The money will help quite a few within the Athabasca and Lac La Biche areas," Reimer said. "$1,000 is a lot of money for a child who knows that its going to people in great need. Honestly, the town should be very proud of these little kids. This is an amazing feat for them."
She said that Road to Hope continues to be grateful to those who keep on giving to the cause.
