Haiti disaster inspires garage sale fundraiser

By Marcus Power
Updated November 2 2012 - 1:14pm, first published January 24 2010 - 12:02pm
FUNDRAISERS: Baylee Dorchester, 10, Victoria Harding, 13 and Ryan Dorchester, 7, held a garage sale to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Picture: Daniel Hartley-Allen
FUNDRAISERS: Baylee Dorchester, 10, Victoria Harding, 13 and Ryan Dorchester, 7, held a garage sale to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Picture: Daniel Hartley-Allen

SYMPATHY for victims of the Haiti earthquake inspired three Ballarat children into action.In little more than a week, Baylee and Ryan Dorchester, along with their cousin Victoria Harding, organised a garage sale by themselves.Baylee, 10, said the trio "gathered teddies and books and stuff" they owned but no longer needed for the sale."We saw what happened to the people in Haiti and we wanted to raise money for them," Baylee said. They also accepted some donated goods from friends and had a bit of help from their parents to lift heavy items.But on Saturday morning they ran the sale themselves. By the afternoon, most of the items they had collected were sold and the trio had raised about $450.One man who stopped by, but did not buy anything, was so impressed with the children's efforts he donated $50 anyway. Money raised from the sale will be donated to the Haitian Christian Mission. Baylee and Ryan's mother Belinda Skewes said she was impressed they ran the stall themselves, and that it was for the benefit of someone else."I think they want to inspire other people to do the same thing. If they can do it, everyone can do something that helps."Yesterday, the children presented the money they had raised to Ballarat couple Steve and Debbie Rasmussen, who adopted three children through the Haiti Christian Mission.

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