Several years ago, my now 10-year-old daughter, Catie Baer, told me that she didn’t really care if she signed up for another sport or after-school activity. “I want to start my own group,” she said. She wanted to call it “Catie’s Cancer Fighters” and invite her friends to join with her to support various cancer-fighting organizations. Catie was touched by cancer at age three when I was diagnosed with stage-4 Hodgkins Lymphoma. But there are a lot of people who have been touched by cancer who don’t go on to form their own group. Cue the very proud mom.
Still, as much as I wanted to allow Catie the opportunity to pursue her goals, I was busy. So I kept putting it off, thinking it was really going to be just another thing to add to the list. But Catie was persistent–so persistent that finally, I had to say yes. How could I say no to a child who wants to help others?
So we sat down and gave some real thought to how we could make it happen. We decided that there are so many organizations right here in Wilton that could use help, and it became clear that this could be broader than just a cancer-fighting group. That is how Catie’s new group, S.O.S., was formed.
You may have seen them at the Village Market last Sunday, March 29. They were the girls with the vibrantly-colored Bake Sale! signs and the very vocal sales technique. The group’s members are fifth graders (and one third grade assistant, Catie’s sister, Emmy) with some big hearts and one goal: to help others.
“There’s a lot of friendship and teamwork in S.O.S.,” said Bella Andjelkovic, one of the S.O.S. members.
The girls had their first meeting in February, during which they voted on a name for the group and came up with a list of different causes that they felt were important. Among them were animal shelters, school supplies for children in need, shoes and clothing drives, and the elderly. A vote for the top choice for our first project was to help children with cancer. The girls and I decided that Circle of Care, a Wilton-based organization that supports families of children with cancer, was a worthy recipient for our first effort.
The girls and their parents worked hard to prepare a beautiful spread of baked goodies for the bake sale, and the Wilton community embraced the new group with astounding support. What a thrill for the girls to see so many people stop by and donate to their cause. They even had one gentleman hand them a $100 bill and another donated $50. The group raised a whopping $1,153.05 for Circle of Care in just five hours!
That blew away Circle of Care founder and president Liz Salguero, who said, “I am amazed! Your girls are a powerhouse!”
Dawn Ladenheim, the founder and treasurer of Circle of Care, stopped by at the sale and spoke to the girls about the value of what they were doing. “I know that you could be home watching TV or relaxing today, but you’ve chosen to spend your day in the cold to help others. You are making such a difference for so many people,” she said, thanking the girls for donating to Circle of Care.
“I feel like I’m making a difference in my community, while having fun with my friends,” Catie said. Another member, Aki Lasher, added, “I feel happy to help others and I know that what we’re doing will do something good for other people.”
Most of the goodies were sold, but the girls took the remaining cupcakes and treats to the Wilton Police and Fire Departments.
If you see S.O.S. around town, stop by and say hello. They’ll be working on their next project soon. And if you’re wondering what S.O.S. represents for this group… it’s Sharing Our Sweetness. And what a special group of very sweet girls they are.
S.O.S. members include: Bella Andjelkovic, Catie Baer, Emmy Baer, Anabelle Creveling, Grace Denious, Aki Lasher, Riley Luchetta, Sydney Reuter, Sinead Roche, Lainey Scolnik, Kate Sreckovic, Kathryn Stein and Gwynn Sullivan.
