Meet Isabelle Critchell. She’s a typical 10-year-old: she loves hanging out with her friends in year four, watching shows on Netflix (Alexa and Katie is a favourite) and making loom band bracelets.
She’s also passionate about her favourite cause: child health research! Growing up with an uncle who lives with a disability has given Isabelle a real desire to make a difference to the lives of kids growing up with sickness or disability. And what better way to raise money for an important cause than with one of her favourite hobbies!
Isabelle has been making and selling loom band bracelets to raise cash, spending the July school holidays creating hundreds of brightly coloured bracelets.
“I had a lot of loom bands lying around my room and I thought it was a good idea to use them up and make money with them,” Isabelle explained.
With guidance from her super proud parents, she signed up to be an official Telethon Kids Institute fundraiser, organised a stall at the markets, made her own signs and posted updates on Facebook and her fundraising page.
So far, Isabelle has sold more than 55 bracelets and has raised more than $100. But the determined student is just getting started, with more events scheduled over the next couple of months. She hopes to raise $350.
Isabelle said while she’s been extra busy since fundraising, she’s been having a great time selling her bracelets and has enjoyed meeting a lot of new friends along the way.
“It’s so good to be helping other people and having so much fun as well. Everyone I meet at the markets is so kind. They say things like, ‘keep going’ and ‘I’m so proud of you’, and that feels nice.”
Follow Isabelle’s fundraising efforts at her Telethon Kids Institute fundraising page. Or follow Isabelle’s lead and create your own fundraiser.