How sweet it is when kids care

When Paige Miller was in second grade in Evansville, IN, she heard about people who had cancer and decided to raise funds to help find a cure. She dug up weeds, hoping to grow and sell them, but her Mom Crystal explained nobody buys weeds. Finally they decided to bake and sell cupcakes. "We thought this will just be a cute little thing....we were expecting maybe 20 dozen orders," Crystal recalls. The first year (2012) Paige raised $1,200. In 2013 she tripled that total, donating $3,600 to Deaconess Hospital in Evansville. The Indianapolis Colts honored her with the team's 2013 Student All-Star award, giving her $500 to help with 2014 fundraising.

Paige is now 10, and in December 2014 she and her family moved from Evansville to the small town of Mitchell, IN. Crystal wondered how the fundraising effort would be received in Lawrence County, but Paige's teachers and fellow-students embraced it. "I have been blessed to have her in my class this year," said her new teacher, Sara Russell. "She's a tremendous role model for other girls. She has demonstrated how perseverance can really pay off. Every student in our class knows they are Paige's friend. I hope my daughters can be as loving as Paige."

Meanwhile Paige, who likes to dance, hunt and do metal detecting with her Dad, can't explain why she decided to raise funds, but she loves doing it each spring. "The best part is giving the money away after," she says.