On March 23, UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital staff set out on a mission to find Charli, a young person who had sent the hospital a donation of $102, some cookies and a letter stating the funds were to be used to support people with cancer. The hospital was successful and Charli and her two friends Avriana and Emma were found.
On Wednesday, the three girls were invited to Longs Peak Hospital to an official ceremony of gratitude. They, and their families, were treated to a tour of the cancer center. Longs Peak Hospital leaders also thanked them in a speech.
“The story about these girls is a reminder to all of us that even the smallest acts of kindness can have a ripple effect,” said Ryan Rohman, president of Longs Peak Hospital and Broomfield Hospital.
What the girls didn’t know was that they sparked a wave of donations to the hospital in their name. The donations from this sweet story totaled $2,509, almost 25 times their initial donation.
“What I learned is you can do one small deed and won’t expect it to go far, but you can end up raising a lot of money because of it,” Avriana said.
The girls said the idea to donate money began because they were bored during the school’s snow days. They spoke with Charli’s mother and created a plan to make cookies and sell them to their neighbors. Charli’s mom helped them post the event on a neighborhood Facebook group to spread the word.
The girls said that many of their neighbors and another person from the community showed up to buy their homemade cookies.
The process took two days but the girls felt as though their hard work paid off when they were able to donate to the Longs Peak Hospital Foundation’s Cancer Patient and Family Assistance Fund.
The fund helps patients navigate their cancer journey by supplying funds or gift cards to help with medical bills, transportation, housing costs and more.
