When 6-year-old Nora Folkrod and her mother, Katie, heard that refugees from Afghanistan were coming to Wisconsin and would need some new clothes, they wanted to help.
“We got this idea, for the Afghan refugees, we were hoping to help them by raising money,” says Nora.
So Nora, a first-grader, and other members of Girl Scouts Daisy Troop 1393 of Whitefish Bay, WI, decided an all-American fundraiser was in order: The troop would sell cider.
The money they raised would then be used to support Team Rubicon’s resettlement efforts at Fort McCoy, WI, by buying clothes for the Afghan refugees, most of whom had arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs.
Nora nods along as mom Katie explains further. “We’re going to help them out and welcome them to their new home by giving them the things that all families need, like clothes and things that they would need to feel welcomed and comfortable, just like us, right?”
This is what the 12-member troop did one October Saturday morning. In just two hours, the Daisies raised $657.61. The outdoor store that let them use the sidewalk donated another $100. Then, they went shopping. With winter coming, the Daisies decided to send a family-coats package, using the $758 on warm winter coats in a variety of sizes for kids, moms, and dads.
“I was very happy and excited and I wanted to help the Afghan refugee families,” says Nora of the troop’s day selling cider. “We raised a lot of money to get them coats, so I was so, so happy.”
