Lollipop Fundraising!

Tommy Antonson helps his sister, others by raising $1,304.75 selling lollipops for Project Mobility.

Rose Antonson, 4, of Geneva has 10q Partial Trisomy, an extremely rare chromosomal disorder that that makes her, in the eyes of her mother Jennifer, a beautiful, one-in-a-billion child.

The same can be said of Rosie’s older brother, Tommy, 8, who recently raised $1,304.75 so that children like his sister can have a chance to ride a bike.

At Monday’s City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Mayor Kevin Burns began this Geneva story of hope and thanksgiving.

“Two (weeks) ago, it was a cold, rainy Saturday in the Tri-Cities, when this young man did something that ordinarily doesn’t garner a whole lot of attention,” he said.

Tommy was selling lollipops. He was going door-to-door, asking 25 cents each for a piece of candy that could make a disabled child’s dream come true.

“It started last Christmas with a girl named Riley Christensen,” Jennifer wrote to Geneva Patch. “She was looking at the website www.thebikerack.com to get her dad a bike.”

When Riley saw the Hallmark Heroes YouTube video clip describing Project Mobility and Hal Honeyman’s efforts at the Bike Rack, she decided that she wanted to help raise money for kids who would find joy in the freedom and mobility of an adaptive bicycle. 

Riley sent notes in her Christmas cards asking for donations to Project Mobility. With the help of Honeyman, Riley raised more than $12,000, and Rose was one of three surprise recipients of her own, three-wheeled miracle on Christmas Eve.

On Monday night, behind the podium and perched on a footstool provided by the mayor, Tommy told the City Council why he made up his own flyers and campaigned so hard on a cold a rainy Saturday.

“Just so I could get another special-needs kid a bike—to pay it forward,” he said.

Burns asked Tommy what he thought it means, to pay it forward.

“That means you do good things,” he said. “And if you do, other kids will do good, too.”

Each bicycle costs between $3,000 and $4,000, said Tommy’s and Rosie’s dad, Jeff Antonson.

“Tommy, who is Rose’s hero, decided to take it upon himself to pay it forward,” he said. “It was his idea, his inception, his excecution.”

Tommy presented the lollipop donations to Riley, who is raising money through a bike-a-thon this holiday season.

The thread of the story goes on, from fundraiser to fundraiser and storyteller to storyteller. You can read more in a Reader’s Digest story and see more in the YouTube video of the Hallmark Heroes series hosted by Regis Philbin.

To make a donation, send a check 2930 Campton Hills Road, St. Charles, IL 60175, or visit the Project Mobility website here.

About this column: Geneva Patch wants to “catch someone doing something right.” If you know of “good work” being done in town, make an announcement, enter an event or contact Rick Nagel at rickn@patch.com.

Source: http://geneva.patch.com/articles/a-geneva-thanksgiving-story-tommy-antonson-pays-it-forward

FAMOUS faces will be rattling tins for donations on Transperth services this morning as staff leave their uniforms at home in favour of fancy dress.

Passengers may spot or even meet Marilyn Monroe, Snow White, Zorro, Princess Leia, Elvis and Superman, and should be ready to dig deep and donate to Radio Lollipop.

Radio Lollipop is a radio station entertaining young patients at Princess Margaret Hospital, Armadale Hospital, Fremantle Hospital, Joondalup Health Campus, Kalgoorlie Regional Hospital and St John of God Murdoch.

In addition, the Lollipop volunteers entertain children with games, painting, drawing, story telling and lifting their spirits.

Money raised from the Transperth fundraising drive – the charity’s main revenue source – makes it possible for volunteers to continue to entertain children at a time when they need laughter most.

Transperth executive director Mark Burgess said Perth commuters’ spare change last year converted into nearly $60,000 worth of smiles on the faces of sick children in hospitals all across the State.

“Radio Lollipop wants to broadcast into every hospital across WA and we want to help make that happen,” he said.

“We’ll be accepting donations on all Transperth services on the day and will also have collectors out at our main train stations and interchanges.

“We hope all our passengers get into the spirit of Radio Lollipop Day – by digging into their pockets and supporting this fantastic cause.”

Radio Lollipop began in Surrey, England in 1978. Perth’s Princess Margaret Hospital was the first Australian hospital to take up the concept, in 1985. It has since spread to hospitals across the country. Transperth has been an active supporter for more than 10 years. Lollipop stands for – Lots of Love and Laughter in Place of Pain.

The local Radio Lollipop studio is located at Princess Margaret Hospital and is programmed around the requests of the children. Children are encouraged to be the announcer or just talk on the radio. For the children who are unable to leave their beds, volunteers visit them to ensure quality time for all.

OGDEN — The poster-size check consisted of fourth-grade handwriting in colorful markers.

The check represented months of planning, solving problems, discussing lollipop sales strategies and staying after school.

It was made out to the Mali Rising Foundation in the amount of $314.20, with the purpose of purchasing books and other school supplies for kids in the country of Mali in Western Africa.

Yeah Samake, director of the Mali Rising Foundation and mayor of Ouelessebougou, where the school is being built, graciously accepted the unique check and sum Monday afternoon from Shawnee Robinson’s fourth-grade class at Lincoln Elementary.

“This is very special. It’s not just the money, but these children getting involved in helping children their age — it’s just unique,” said Samake, who plans to frame the check. “I was very touched.”

Students got the idea at the beginning of the school year from a group of local Mali humanitarians and opted to help by selling lollipops. Students ran the show, selling 600 suckers at 75 cents apiece.

While performing service, Robinson said, the students also learned the ups and downs of how to run a profitable business.

“They had to decide on the product, the sales price and how to turn a profit. They did a lot of math,” she said.

“It was a service-learning project. Instead of doing it from a textbook, addition, subtraction, problem-solving, we just did a project. It was fun to watch them go through the process.”

The students raised the money despite the theft of some lollipops and older kids picking on them, Robinson said, and adjusted by revising their sales process along the way.

When Samake arrived to accept the check Monday, the youngsters treated him like a rock star. The student body gathered in the gymnasium for a short assembly in which the check was presented and Samake showed the children a presentation about life in Mali.

Fourth-graders Brandon Merdsker and Shelby Thierry were co-managers of the project, which they agreed was a lot of hard work but well worth the effort.

“It was really cool to learn about Yeah, his personality and his country,” Merdsker said. “It was very exciting to help other kids. We feel very proud that we did that.”

The school fundraiser is a small part of a larger humanitarian effort by a group of locals to assist Mali.

The group has raised more than $11,000 for the Mali school project. If enough funds are raised, group members want to install a solar energy panel at the Mali school and donate a computer, a rare commodity in schools in that country.

The Mali school will be completed and dedicated in January.

Learn more about the Mali school project by visiting www.malischool.com or malirisingfoundation.org.