By Jason Brady
After weeks of planning and hectic last-minute preparations, the fourth annual Lanning’s Lemonade and Colton’s Cookies fundraiser ended with another success.
The dynamic team of entrepreneurial brothers Lanning Kistler, 9, and Colton Walters, 8, presented a check for $4,524 to the Child Advocacy Center last week.
It was the second time the boys chose to donate the proceeds of their fundraiser to the Children’s Advocacy Center. Including this year’s event, which was on August 20, the boys have raised $7,099 for the center.
Roberta Humphries, executive director of the Child Advocacy Center, said the money will go into the general operating budget to help fund the many services the center provides for abused children.
Humphries said the center benefits from a number of “third-party” fundraisers, but this is the first one the children have organized.
“It’s the only one driven by kids,” Humphries said during a phone interview. “It is their idea and choice who they give the money to. That’s kind of unique.”
In addition to making money by selling lemonade, which Lanning flavored this year with a secret ingredient he refuses to divulge, and selling M&M-laden cookies made by Colton, the boys also raised money through sponsorships and donations in line
“Everyone loved our new recipe,” Lanning said in an email. “People were telling us it was the best lemonade they’d ever had,” he said.
Not to be outdone, Colton was also fine with his cookies. “My cookies were also popular. We sold out and made like 200,” he wrote in his email. “We need to make more next year.”
Sponsors include Firehouse Subs on Glensford Drive, The UPS Store at Westwood Mall, City Center Gallery and Books on Hay Street, Maidens and Monsters Face and Body Art and Meraki Creative Agency. State Sen. Kirk deViere and his wife, Jenny, and Randy and Ann Gregory also sponsored the fundraiser.
Except for the first year, the boys hold their fundraiser at the VanStory entrance, in an opening just off Morganton Road, but a change may be on the horizon.
Father John Kistler said the event could partner with a large community organization in an effort to pick up more sponsors and more aggressively promote the fundraiser.
Kistler said expanding the activities could help attract sponsors, which made this year’s event so successful. He envisions more activities for younger patrons, such as bounce houses, and perhaps selling local art and music for adult attendees.
“Basically, we’re looking at anything that can help bring in donations for the Child Advocacy Center,” Kistler said. “We are open to any ideas from community members to make this an event that people would want to attend and give money to a very deserving and much needed organization.”
For more information, contact Kistler at John.F.Kistler@gmail.com.
Jason Brady covers Cumberland County government for CityView TODAY. He can be contacted at jbrady@cityviewnc.com.
Keywords
Fayetteville,
fundraising,
Child Defense Center,
Lanning’s lemonade and Colton’s cookies
