Lemonade, iced tea and baked goods sales raise more than $1,600 for Hurricane Harvey and Irma victims
Washington Township families watched the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Texas in late August on television, and saw islanders and Floridians begin to evacuate, as news of Hurricane Irma became a reality weeks later.
Inspired by the images of destruction in Texas, and feeling worrisome for those in Florida, siblings Luke, 8, Kit, 7, and Becca Ridgeway, 6, teamed with neighbor Faith Antell, 7, and their families to give back to those who may have lost everything. For three hours each day on Friday, Sept. 8, Saturday, Sept. 9, and Sunday, Sept. 10, the Wedgwood Elementary School students raised funds for flood victims in Texas by selling iced tea, lemonade and baked goods at their Tea for Texas street-side stand.
According to moms Theresa Antell and Kelly Ridgeway, the families had not set an official goal of how much money they wanted to raise through their efforts, however they would have been happy with $200. According to Ridgeway, however, much to their surprise, the fundraiser raised more than $1,600 for the American Red Cross with continuous donations being made for days following the event.
“I teared up,” Antell said. “It hits home a little bit; my parents are in Florida right now. I was standing out in the driveway watching the kids help any flood victims, but it could have easily been my parents, too.”
Ridgeway said she felt overwhelmed as the community contributed to children’s cause. Having expected just their tightknit Wedgewood Forest neighborhood to stop by, the families were shocked when a parade of firefighters, EMS and police officers approached the driveway, sirens blaring in support.
“The kids were screaming,” Antell said. “It was such a unique experience and gave a sense of community service for the kids. The amount of support makes them want to do it again, which is a lesson I could not have taught Faith alone, it took the entire community and I’m very grateful.”
By word of mouth and sharing of social media posts, as well as the help from Wedgewood Elementary School teachers, residents, classmates and members of township’s administration, such as Mayor Joann Gattinelli, also made an appearance to show their support.
“The community support was overwhelming; I had chills, I was crying, and they were so good with the kids,” Antell said. “It’s amazing what people can do, when they come together and want to help an idea brought upon by a bunch of kids. It put a smile on the whole town.”
According to Antell, the response from the fundraiser sparked motivation for the kids to want to do more. With both families having relatives living in Florida, as well as a family who visited the fundraiser that was staying in Washington Township as their home was located in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, Ridgeway said the kids understood what they were doing, selling something as small as cookies and lemonade, was helping people who could have lost everything.
“We came home after watching a football game, and they had a snippet of pictures from the Texas flooding on TV. My youngest 6-year-old said, ‘we should send more money, I don’t think we have enough,’” Ridgeway said. “It really sunk into her that $1,600 is not enough to build another road or fix some houses. It’s important to band together as a community and a country to support those who need our help.”
The Ridgeway and Antell families ask those who are interested in making a donation for hurricane disaster relief to visit www.redcross.org.
