For a nine-year-old Richmond kid, raising a total of $10,000 to donate to local charities and non-profits was going to happen, whether it took her two or 10 years.
In fact, it took six years for Ava Koldenhof to finally reach her goal.
And very soon, Ava, now 15, will be making her last donation to the Richmond Christmas Fund.
In 2015, the then nine-year-old started making and selling beaded angels and Christmas ornaments in order to make sure “everyone would have a present for Christmas” and made it her personal goal to raise $10,000 to help those in need.
That year, she raised $500 and made her first donation to the Richmond Christmas Fund.
“The Richmond Christmas Fund was my first donation and it felt like it should also be the charity to receive my last donation that put me at my goal,” said Ava.
Over the years, the McMath secondary student has made donations to organizations such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Richmond Food Bank, Make a Wish Foundation and more.
When asked how many bead angel keychains she would make in a year, Ava said she made around 1,000.
Sally, Ava’s mother, said it’s amazing to see how “a little action” can make a difference in the community.
“Ava started when she was so young, but she just worked at it … and slowly selling $2 angel charms eventually added up to the $10,000 donation. It shows that everybody can do something,” said Sally.
After Ava makes her final donation to RCRG on Monday, Aug. 23, she will be preparing for her exchange program in France this upcoming school year.
“I’ll be back next July and that is when I’ll start fundraising again,” said Ava.
