Pink Polka Dot Girls-Kelsey

Here is what Kelsey from the Pink Polka Dot Guild has to say...

The funny thing about doing something for the world is that it is
addictive. When I was younger, I always did little projects--a
coat drive, food drives, lemonade stands for animal shelters--but I
was always jumping from one thing to the next. Then Sydney died.
It kind of snapped me out of the little things, and showed me that
there was a lot that I could do. Sierra and Maddy and I all agreed
that we couldn't let this kind of disease strike another kid, another
family, another community. And so we created Pink Polka Dots. At
first we were just going to host the garage sale that Sydney had
started planning before her death, but when we approached the
hospital, and they told us about the Guild Association, it was a
perfect fit. It's been hard at times, and sometimes I really just
have to distance myself from why we're doing what we're doing
so that I can do it well--if I think about this terrible disease, or
about Sydney's death, then I can't function very well. But PPD
is so much apart of me now, I can't imagine life without it.

There's a lot more to me than PPD, of course. I hang out with
my friends every weekend, watching movies, going to the mall,
going ice skating. I'm involved in the Youth Legislature at the
YMCA, and I'm an amateur figure skater.

I also spend a lot of time doing creative things--I paint and
sketch a lot. My favorite subject is an apple. It's a challenge to
get the image on the paper to look not just like an apple, but
THE apple in front of me. I also write stories, and someday I hope
to be a published author. At the rate I'm going, that may never
happen, but for me it's the journey more than the destination that
matters. I love travelling--I even don't mind airport security, or
waking up at 3 am for the cheaper flights.

Pink Polka Dots has exposed me to so many things I wouldn't
otherwise get to do. I value the time I spend working on it, making
phone calls to guild members, selling raffle tickets for our annual raffle,
planning events, whatever I have to do. It's worth it.

Kelsey

Meet Sierra from The Pink Polka Dots Guild

My name is Sierra and I'm one of the 3 founding members
of the Pink Polka Dots Guild. I'm 14 years old, and a
 freshman at Shorecrest High School in Seattle.

The Pink Polka Dots Guild was formed two and half years
ago when my friends and I lost our beloved friend Sydney
to an incurable brain tumor at the age of 11. Maddy, Kelsey,
and I started the guild just a few months after her death,
and have raised almost $100,000 since.

Although Pink Polka Dots is a huge part of my life, I'm a
normal teenager. When I'm not fundraising, I'm hanging out
with my friends or working on homework. I have interests
besides charity too, like travel and the arts.

Pink Polka Dots is by far my proudest accomplishment.
When we started the guild as sixth graders, we never
imagined $100,000 in our near future. The experience has
taught me that anyone can do anything if they're determined
enough. I'm lucky enough to have a determined group of girls
and moms working with me for the cause, and together through
the years to come, I believe that we can achieve our main
goal: curing brain cancer.

--
Sierra
www.pinkpolkadotsguild.com

Pink Polka Dots Junior Guild

deko and posh here...We have a very amazing and inspirational story for all of you. This is what we like to see. About four years ago, four best friends in 5th grade from Seattle, Washington were just your typical best friends. Their names are Kelsey, Sierra, Maddy, and Sydney. In 2005 the unthinkable happened-Sydney was diagnosed with a brain-stem glioma, a rare inoperable tumor. Sydney did not survive and this left Kelsey, Sierra, and Maddy very upset and frustrated that their friend could not be saved. Wow!!! Can you imagine? These girls went to work and formed Pink Polka Dots Guild (PPD) and are raising money for brain-cancer research. They held a garage sale and raised $9000.00 and they sell greeting cards designed by various members of the group. They host yearly golf tournments and they have raised over $40,000.00 so far. They are just amazing. You can read about them in this June issue of TeenVogue. Awesome story!

deko and posh