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we were preparing for Christmas in 2003, my daughter Abbie, 9 years
old at the time, was very curious about all of the charity donations
that were going on. She wanted to know how come everyone made such
an effort to donate only at Christmas time. I explained to her that
Christmas tends to make people remember to think of others. She thought
about that for a while, then decided that she wanted to remind people
to keep thinking of others after the Christmas season was over. She
wanted to help people but didnt know where to begin. Well, I
brought her to the computer and we searched through tons of charities
on the web until we found one that touched her, the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children. She was determined
to help as many children as she could. Now she had to find out what
she was going to do to make the money!
Abbie and I poured through cookbooks until we found
just the right thing. Peppermint Pie. Its different, its
delicious, and its memorable. It is a whipped cream, marshmallow
pie filling with an oreo cookie crust. Perfect for Valentines
Day! Abbie was hooked. She began making sign up sheets and approached
everyone she could think of. Then, the week of Valentines
Day, we made and gave out all the pies. When all was said &
done, she had raised over $500.00. Her father drove her to the Center
in Virginia where she met the amazing people who make this organization
what it is today. She was given a tour & she presented her money.
The first thing she said to me after this experience was Ill
be back next year with even more. She meant it. 2005's
goal for Abbie was $1000 - with a lot of hard work, friends, family
and a lot of time in the kitchen - she raised over $2200. More than
doubling her goal - WOW! Then a good friend of hers with connections
to the Paul Newman foundation found her another $2000 in grant money
from them - Abbie raised over $4200 in her second year and over
$13,900 last year and donated it all to the Center - it was impressive!
This year we teamed up with a local ice cream producer, Royal
Ice Cream of Manchester, CT who can make them a little faster
than us. They were great in working out the recipe, same type of
crust and taste, but now our pies are made with their handcrafted
ice cream. They're great - you'll love them - we do!
Please join us in helping Abbie and now her sisters,
Julia and Hannah (AJH), to meet their goal this year. They have
inspired many people along the way and their determination, with
your help, could really make a difference in the life of a child.
The pies are delicious, but the result is even better.
Thank you, Jennifer
Shimer
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