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good works
by Caralee Adams
to order cards from
Saanya, e-mail her
mom at salmahasan
ali@yahoo.com. Or
make a donation to her
favorite organizations:
pehchildren.org or
threecupsoftea.com.
everyday ways we can
all make a difference
nAME Saanya Hasan ali AgE 13
CAUSE raising money for impoverished kids
CITY Potomac, maryland
FAMIl Y mother, Salma; father, arif; brother, Zayd, 7
Saanya HaSan ali rememberS tHe day
four years ago when her mom, Salma, asked her
to read an e-mail she’d received from close friends
who had recently visited India after an earthquake. They were soliciting donations for Pennies
for Education and Health (PEH), a nonprofit they
created to provide children in their hometown
village with medical care and schooling. Salma
offered to give $75 in her daughter’s name, but
Saanya insisted on doing something herself.
Since she loves making crafts, Saanya decided
to design and sell greeting cards to sponsor one
child’s school year. Using colored cardstock, rubber
stamps, stickers, vintage postage stamps, buttons
and ribbons, she created cards and sold them at an
uncle’s wedding. She was shocked to find she
raised $600—enough to sponsor eight kids!
Saanya soon started selling her cards at school
fairs and neighborhood bazaars. She relies on a
core group of friends and cousins who regularly
pitch in to help fill orders. So far she has raised
$17,000 for charities that help needy children,
including PEH and the Central Asia Institute,
which builds schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
But for Saanya, this is only the beginning. She
plans to continue fundraising and also wants to
educate kids about the importance of helping
others. “My goal is to inspire children to get
involved in causes they care about,” she says.
“I want them to know they don’t have to be old or
have lots of money. They can start small.”
Know someone who’s helping to change your community?
send details along with a photo to goodworks@familycircle.com.
58 family circle july.09
photography by Malek Naz Freidouni
