Palatine 7th Grader and Sisters Raise More than $25K to Help People In-Need

An Immanuel Lutheran School 7th grader from Palatine was recently honored with the Prudential Spirit of the Community Award in Washington D.C. The award is the United States' largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service.

Kayli Roe, 12, and her three younger siblings, twins Georgia and Cassidy, 10, and Topher, 7, have been working for the last few years to build the charitable group, 'Sisters Giving Hope' (SGH). Each of them make crafts and jewelry that they in turn sell, to raise funds for local people who are in need and other good philanthropic causes.

The goal, according to Kayli, is grow SGH into something bigger.

"So many kids have the talents to make crafts, and they can also have them go toward a great cause," Kayli said. "I want to grow SGH into something as big as Girl Scouts, and have clubs across the country so that other kids have a way to give back."

Kayli received the state honoree award from Prudential after being interviewed by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin in early May.

Sisters Giving Hope got its start after one of Kayli's sisters received a jewelry box for Christmas in 2012.

"I was thinking about all the people in the world who might not have enough money for Christmas presents," Kayli said. "I thought we could change that."

After discussing it with their parents, Kayli and her siblings decided to form Sisters Giving Hope to raise money for people who were in-need. They began spreading the word by creating a Facebook page and contacting friends.

What started as handmade crafts and jewelry such as bracelets and necklaces, has now expanded to include dog toys, jump ropes, blankets, art and other items.

The group has set up tables at grocery stores, churches, schools, as well as stores and festivals to sell their wares, and can now also accept orders via email.

Every three months, Sisters Giving Hope support a new cause.

So far, they have started a college fund for a boy whose father died of ALS, contributed to the cost of a boy's stem cell transplant, raised money for a girl with brain cancer, and helped make a former soldier's house wheelchair accessible.

They've also hosted charity garage sales, started a yellow ribbon project to raise awareness of childhood cancer and marched in parades to promote volunteerism.

"I want to show the world that just because you are young doesn't mean that you can't make a BIG difference in the world," Kayli said.

View a YouTube video of Kayli talking about Sisters Giving Hope here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXK2HU5KLr4&feature=youtu.be

For more information, please visit Sisters Giving Hope on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/sistersgivinghope.

ABOUT THE PRUDENTIAL SPIRIT OF THE COMMUNITY AWARDS PROGRAM

Created in 1995 by Prudential and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the Prudential Spirit of the Community Awards program honors middle level and high school students for outstanding service to others at the local, state and national level.