Colourful fundraising efforts by fifth-grader brightens lives (4 photos)

Ten-year-old Leighton Pollari was recently honoured by ARCH Hospice for her generous donation of $620 raised from selling bracelets. It all started when Pollari received a colourful elastic loom kit on a Saturday afternoon. 

Pollari had seen kids using these kits at Greenwood Public School and her friend Mia introduced her to bracelet-making originally.

“She showed me how to make bracelets and let me use her kit. She inspired me to get my own bracelet kit because they were really fun to make,” Pollari said. 

After Leighton’s mom, Holly Infanti bought the kit for her, Pollari spent an entire day choosing different colour schemes and weaving patterns.

“I was making a bunch of bracelets for hours and hours… and I didn’t know what to do with them all,” Pollari said.

So Infanti suggested she sell them and donate the money to ARCH. 

“Mostly it was my mom’s friends who bought them for $20 for three or five, from her gym – with the pandemic, it was hard,” Pollari said.

But despite the difficult times, Leighton put effort into each sale she made.

“Every bracelet was packaged in special rainbow loom bags and I’d write people’s names on it with my paint pen (in either blue, pink or white),” she said. Her loom jewellery can be made to order, with beads, embellishments and over 17 different colours to choose from.

While Leighton said she has made over 200 bracelets in her lifetime, her younger sister Locklyn, who is 8, insists she’s made at least 500.

“She’s made so many and she gives them away. I have 31 from her,” said Locklyn with pride. 

Once she had collected all of the money made, Pollari missed school, she and her mom got a cheque with $620 to donate and brought it to ARCH.

“They made a Facebook post about me. My family was super proud,” said Pollari.

Their father James Pollari said Leighton has a habit of being thoughtful and doing nice things. He’s especially thrilled to witness her growth.

“[I’m so proud] that she did it to help others. I feel like she learned what it means to help others in her community,” said James. 

After the success of her bracelet-making business, she decided to bring her kit to school and teach kids how to create colourful elastic loom jewellery too.

“People will always remember when you’re mean to them…But they will also really remember if you’re kind,” she said. 

For her next project, she thinks she might run a bake sale, using the “bake book she got from her older sister Ashley” and raise money for cancer.