Darling, Valorie

Social responsibility has become a theme of many businesses. But not many of them are run by four sixth-grade girls.

Sara Richardson, Valorie Darling, Arielle Ring, and Sara DeCristoforo of Spokane, WA became the Helping Hearts Company after reading a newspaper article about the horrendous living conditions for orphans in Romania. They didn’t have money to donate so they started the company to make some.

At an age when most kids are trying desperately to fit in, these girls took the risk of being decidedly different from their peers; they also had to operate in an often-daunting adult world. They quickly asked several entrepreneurs for business advice, wrote up a business plan, and got several shopkeepers to agree to sell their product: beeswax candles. One shopkeeper reported, “I thought it was really cute, four sixth-grade girls selling candles for orphans. When I agreed to take a few, one of them responded "Excellent. When would be an appropriate time to deliver the inventory?’”

The girls pooled their earnings from babysitting—about $100 each—to buy their first supplies of wax and packaging, and got to work. Each of the girls also invested an amazing about of time and energy,  choosing to let their studies and extracurricular slip a bit to take on the enormity of their project. When orders got too numerous to fill by themselves, they enlisted classmates to help. By Christmas time, the candles were selling in a spreading number of outlets, including Spokane’s premier restaurant and its best department store. By Valentine’s, the girls had earned close to $4,000 for Romanian orphans. They are now expanding the operation.

One businesswoman asked about Helping Hearts, said, “I’ve been astounded by their behavior, dedication, professionalism, and their willingness to continue on when it’s not fun anymore. These girls have broken every rule for what adults should expect of kids.”