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Not long after the tsunami affected Southeast Asia, the CIDI received a call
from a bright young girl who wanted to know how she and her friends could best
help the victims of this tragic disaster. With guidance from the CIDI, Jasmine, an 11-year old student
in school in Northern Virginia undertook an ambitious endeavor to make a
difference in the world. The most important lesson here is that Jasmine did her
homework. She read the CIDI Guidelines, she learned that "Cash is Best," and
she sought information about a reliable relief agency that would help the young
children affected by the tsunami.
To highlight the difference that children can make in international disaster
relief, the CIDI is pleased to share this CIDI Honor that demonstrates how one
little girl made a big difference. This is Jasmine's story in her own
words.
On Sunday, December 26th, 2004 my mom and dad told me what happened in South
Asia and part of Eastern Africa. I was really shocked at what had happened.
Two weeks later, I was watching Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon was talking about how
some kids from a different state had a fundraiser with the help of their school.
Right then, I had a very good idea, I thought why don't I have a Bake Sale for
the Tsunami Victims. I asked my parents if I could have one with the help of my
friends and family. My parents really supported my idea. Then my mom asked me
which organization I am going to doing it for. I hadn't chose so my mom chose
the Save the Children organization. I thought that it was a brilliant choice.
On January 16th, 2005, My friends, family, and I had a Bake Sale. The day before
my sister Sagal also had a bake sale, we were going to put our money together to
make the amount of money raised by each other go up. My friends and family truly
supported me when I came up with this blooming thought. One of my friends, Megan, helped me a lot. Her and her mom worked for three days straight, baking
and baking. My other friends, Kate and Sarah also helped me
a lot. The both made brownies. All together, we baked a lot of goods. We sold
them in less then the time we thought it would take us. People were very generous,
some donated and others bought the goods.
The Bake Sale my sister had was at the Giant (Supermarket) in Sterling, Virginia. It was a huge
success. Sagal, Iman (my other sister), my sister's friends Tony and Kara raised
$370.00! The next day, my Bake Sale started, we stayed out in the cold for about
six hours, like my sister and her friends did. We took turns going into the Giant
in Reston, Virginia. Finally it was over! We couldn't wait to get home and count the
money we raised. We went to Megan's house (which is three houses down and across
the street from mine) to count the money. We made $515.57!!! Including the
amount my sister and her friends made, in total we made $885.57. My mom who was
so kind and gracious during this time, offered to add $114.43 so it would equal
$1,000 exactly.
All of my friends and family who helped me so much during this time, I thank them
with all my heart knowing that at least some of the Tsunami Victims will be in
good hands. When I finished the Bake Sale, I felt so wonderful knowing that we
were "Children Helping Children."
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