A Hope And A Dream One Young Lady’s Dream To Help Caylee’s Hope By Mark Mitchell Sara Russell, 11, wears a shirt that features a photo of Caylee Marie Cepero, a four-year-old from Tampa, Fla. who died of Leukemia. In Caylee’s honor, Sara has begun a fundraising drive for the Leukemia Society. Photo by Mark Mitchell “Why are you crying mom?” Sara Russell asked as she came home and saw her mother, Dawn Wilson, crying while looking at Internet site. Figuring the best way to explain it was to let her daughter view the site for herself, Dawn slid to the side and Sara began reading. The site was Caylee’s Hope, a site that told the story and honored Caylee Marie Cepero, a Tampa, Fla. resident who died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia when she was four-year-old. As she finished reading about Caylee, Sara had one more question for her mother … “Can I go to Tampa for my birthday?” Not knowing exactly why her daughter wanted a trip to Tampa for a birthday gift, Dawn asked why. “Because I want to use my birthday to raise money for Caylee’s Hope, and I want to take the money to Caylee’s family,” Sara replied. As she smiled, Dawn answered her daughter with just one word …sure. The conversation took place just two months ago, and since that time, Sara, Dawn and a group of Sara’s friends, called The Kids Care Team, have organized a fundraising drive to do just that. The drive began on Monday, Sara’s birthday, with a party at CiCis Pizza. The goal is to raise $5,000 for the Leukemia Society in Caylee’s memory over the next few weeks, with Sara and Dawn presenting the money to Caylee’s family on March 11 at a benefit concert to be held in Caylee’s honor in Tampa. “I asked everyone not to give me birthday gifts, but to donate money to the fundraising drive instead,” said Sara. “That’s the best gift anyone can get. Once I read about Caylee, I knew this was what I wanted to do immediately.” Although the pizza party kicked off the fundraising drive, it was just the start of the planned activities. A barbeque benefit dinner is still in the planning stages, but three other functions are all set. A butterfly-coloring contest will be held at Two Rivers Community School, where Sara goes to school, at the end of February, and a Jugs of Hope project is also in the works. “The Jugs of Hope is an activity where Sara’s school friends are decorating milk jugs in different ways and placing them in various stores and businesses for donations,” Dawn said. The grand finale of the fundraising drive takes place on March 4 with a Fathers/Daughters Dance at Builder’s Plaza. In addition to the fundraising efforts, Sara and Dawn are also putting together a scrapbook to be given to Caylee’s family at the benefit concert. Sara and Dawn will include any e-mails, notes, prayers or songs given to them by the public in the scrapbook. Anyone interested in making a submission to the scrapbook may do so by sending an e-mail to www.kidscareteam@yahoo.com or by sending a note to P. O. Box 212, Vilas, NC 28692. E-mails or letters may be sent in care of Sara Russell or Dawn Wilson. The idea of using a birthday for charitable means is not something new to Dawn’s family, as her son Alan Russell donated all of the birthday gifts he received three years ago to the OASIS Shelter, a place where Dawn has volunteered for four years. Sara is quick to say that her brother has been an inspiration to her, and that she plans to use her birthdays as a way to help in the future. Sara also makes a plea to others to become involved on a cover sheet that was distributed at the pizza party. On the cover sheet, Sara cited that one in every 500 kids will be diagnosed with Leukemia this year, and that a new study states that the number one cause of death in kids under the age of 14 is cancer. Sara encourages efforts to raise money for the Leukemia Society, and also asks that everyone visit Caylee’s website at www.cayleeshope.com to learn more about Leukemia and what they can do to help. Anyone interested in making a donation to Sara’s fundraising drive for the Leukemia Society may do so by visiting any High Country Bank in Boone and making out a check to Caylee’s Hope. Any scrapbook donations may also be made at any High Country Bank in Boone. “The best part of my birthday is knowing I am helping, and hopefully, making a difference,” Sara said with a smile. “That’s the best gift I could ever get.”