Sisters team up to help other children

For the third year in a row, a pair of Ardmore sisters and their friends have proved two things — you don’t have to be an adult to stand up against child abuse and you don’t have to have a big fancy idea to raise an impressive amount of cash for the local Child Abuse Awareness Fund.
Darian Barnes, 10, and her 7-year-old sister, Taylor, make a difference with a simple lemonade stand.

Wednesday the sisters, the daughters of Darren and Shelly Barnes, set up their stand on Veterans Boulevard.

Their friends, Megan Winchester, 7, Mary Katherine Kelch, 10, Hanna Beth Matherly, 10, Macey Maib, 10, Max Benson, 12, Chase Hightower, 7, and Chloe Hightower, 4, joined the two siblings in taking turns behind the counter from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mike Bean, Darian’s and Taylor’s uncle, and some of his hot rod buddies added their support by organizing a Hot Rod Show next to the stand.

The result? The girls made a whopping $1,255.70 for the Child Abuse Awareness Fund.

“And that’s just so far. There have been people calling to pledge more money, so the final count is not in yet,” said Shirley Barrick, Darian’s and Taylor’s “Nana,” and a Department of Human Services Child Welfare worker.

The idea that a lemonade stand could make a difference for abused children bloomed on a late afternoon three years ago while Darian and Taylor paid a visit to their Nana at her office.

“There were four children picked up that day who were unkempt, hungry and crying,” Barrick said, adding she took her granddaughters with her on a “run” to McDonald’s to purchase food for the hungry children.

That “run” through the drive-through window and the crying children waiting at their grandmother’s office had a profound effect. Later that same day, the girls started asking questions.

“‘Just what do you do at your job, Nana?’ they asked me,” Barrick said.

The girls’ grandmother explained not all children had the good fortune to live in a loving home with parents who could and did provide for them.

“Then they asked, ‘How can you buy every kid something to eat with your money?’ I explained that we (DHS) had an emergency fund and the money comes from a fundraiser known as Kids Day In the Park and that we buy things for the children that the state doesn’t cover, such as food and all kinds of things for kids that are taken into our custody.”

The two girls pondered what they had learned and decided they, too, wanted to do something to help children less fortunate than themselves.

“About a week later, Darian called and said, ‘Nana, we want to help make some money for your emergency fund so Taylor and I are going to open a lemonade stand and make some money for those kids.’”

And they did. The first year, the girls set up their stand and operated it on their own. They made $280. The next year, Macey and Mary Katherine joined the project and the quartet raised $860.

“They were hoping to exceed their first two years this year, and they did,” Barrick said.

And don’t for a minute think this is a one-day project for the children. Darian, Taylor and their friends take their project seriously and spend time and energy preparing in the weeks leading up to the event to make sure it’s a success. Part of that effort is spent drawing and designing posters and fliers and then distributing them.

“They worked on the fliers for two weeks,” Barrick said of this year’s brightly colored design that included smiling lemons and glasses of refreshing lemonade, cookies and hot rods and provided all the information about the event.

The lemonade stand is also decorated, this year with an all-American Independence Day theme.

The Hot Rod Show was an extra highlight. Bob Ricketts took home the first-place trophy with his 1969 blue V-28 Camaro, Alfred Peoples won the second-place trophy with his 1956 red Chevrolet, Herman Caudle received the third-place trophy with his Ford Roadster and the oldest hot rod in the show was a black 1923 C-Cab owned by Steve and Cheryl Bean.

And the children went home with an incomparable prize — the satisfaction of knowing they have made a difference in the lives of needy children.

“They know how blessed they are,” Barrick said.

Anyone who didn’t make it to the lemonade stand Wednesday but who want to contribute to the children’s fundraising efforts can do so by calling Barrick at (580) 490-6060 or sending a donation to Child Abuse Awareness, 925 W. Broadway St., Ardmore, OK 73401.

Marsha Miller 221-6529