Small philanthropists with big impact
Armed with youthful energy and adept at social media, kids as young as 8 are turning oldfashioned fundraising tools — such as lemonade stands and used-clothing drives — into global sensations and local staples. Here are three Bay Area charities with prov
MAKE-A-STAND LEMON-AID
Who: 10-year-old Vivienne Harr, Marin County
What: Vivienne uses lemonade sales to end child slavery. She was 8 and in third grade when she set up her first lemonade stand on June 25, 2012. Realizing that cups of organic lemonade would raise only so much money, she and her father, Eric Harr, a social media professional, started a crowdfunding campaign on Fundly. Vivienne raised more than $101,000 in 173 days to stop child slavery. Her lemonade brand is now sold in hundreds of stores, and she rang the opening bell for Twitter’s IPO at the New York Stock Exchange. The young philanthropist will appear on Oct. 31 with the Dalai Lama at MIT as part of a global conversation on compassion. With backing from top executives at Google and Twitter, the Harrs are now focused on a new mobile app business, called Make a Stand. Vivienne wants people to be able to launch crowdfunding initiatives from their phones at any time. Advice for young philanthropists: “You don’t have to be big or powerful to change the world,” Vivienne Harr said. “You can be just like me. Anyone can change the world, no matter who they are or where they’re from.” Her father, who left his day job to “follow an impossible dream,” likes to say he’s a “CEO with a 10-year-old boss.”
What was learned: “I learned you should be grateful for every little thing you have,” Vivienne said, “and that life is really precious.”
Information: www.makeastandapp.com or @vivienneharr on Twitter.
KRIS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Who: Krissy Dufala of San Jose was 7 years old in November 2010 when she started Sweets for the Holidays, bringing cake and ice cream to an orphanage in the Philippines that was her home only five years earlier. Upon her return to the Bay Area, Krissy realized that she wanted to do something to keep orphans smiling. “I wanted to give them cake and ice cream again and again,” Krissy said.
What: KRIS (Kids Rise Inspire Soar) Charitable Foundation was started with the help of her mother, the family’s church, a supportive teacher and a piggy bank in Krissy’s second-grade class. Their first gift was to throw a holiday party for orphaned kids. Today, KRIS reaches children worldwide, raising money to fund holiday parties in orphanages and build Happy Playces, playgrounds at orphanages. As Krissy’s mother, Lirio Dufala, says, “Our story is a story of an orphaned girl turned child philanthropist, a story of an adoptive mother who is pursuing a higher purpose in life, a story of children and youth who are inspired to do good for others.”
Advice: “Start small, stick with it and pray a lot,” says Krissy, now a sixth-grader.
What was learned: “I’m happy to know I’ve made a lot of children smile,” Krissy said. “I have a good life that I want to share with orphans.”
Information: (408) 657-9244, www.kidsriseinspiresoar.org.
WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS
Who: Paige Blake and Katie Easterly, who live in Walnut Creek and have known each other since first grade, had just finished eighth grade when they landed on the idea of giving their unwanted clothing to girls in need. After finding nowhere in Contra Costa County or Alameda County to donate items specifically for local teenagers, the girls started What’s Mine Is Yours. The two are now juniors in high school, and What’s Mine Is Yours has donated 13,000 pieces of clothing to girls in Alameda and
“You don’t have to be big or powerful to
change the world. You
can be just like me.
Anyone can change the world, no matter who they are or where they’re from.” Vivienne Harr, founder of Make-A-Stand Lemon-Aid
Contra Costa counties. Paige and Katie provide clothing to 16 local agencies.
What: What’s Mine is Yours collects and donates gently worn or new clothing to local girls. “We wanted what we do to be more personalized,” said Katie. “Through trial and error, we eventually connected with a couple of places.” Paige added, “We now have a warehouse and wish lists from girls, many in foster care. We put a name on every single package for the girls.” Paige and Katie recently started hosting pop-up events, turning rented rooms into boutiques. “This was the first time we started to meet the girls from foster homes,” Paige said. “It changed our perspectives. We could put a face to them, and to see how they came in all shy and they walked out com- pletely differently, holding a bag of new clothes.”
Advice: Paige said, “When we first started this, we’d make phone calls, and we’d get shut down because we were teenagers. But we viewed age as an advantage. Instead of adults trying to provide clothing to high school girls, it’s more meaningful to have high school girls do it.”
What was learned: The two regularly sought their parents’ advice and also benefited from creating a board of directors who have business and leadership experience.
Information: www.whatsmineisyours.us.