Kids for a cause!

Local young entrepreneurs use time and talents to give back
Eight-year-old Eliza Broad is in a bit of a pickle. And that’s a good thing! 
 
The Daniel Island youngster’s new business – Pickles 4 Life – is going so well that it’s been a bit difficult to keep up with her surging orders. But the homeschooled student is handling it all like a seasoned pro. 
 
Last week, her kitchen counters were covered with the tools of her trade – a slicer, pounds of pickling cucumbers from farms around Charleston, fresh dill and garlic, vinegar, salt, water, and waiting containers.
 
“You take a cucumber and put it in this little thing,” she said, pointing to the slicer. “Then you start cutting! You can choose how thick or skinny you want it. I just do that for a while!”
 
It all started with the COVID-19 lockdown last spring. Eliza was looking for some fun activities to do during quarantine. She and her mom did some baking together and eventually tried pickles, a family favorite. 
 
“First we started making different recipes,” explained Eliza. “We made donuts, bagels, my brother helped, too.  And then we tried a pickle recipe and we thought it tasted really good. And I just came up with the idea of making a pickle business!”
 
They gave out some samples to friends and family and then the rave reviews started pouring in. 
 
“Now we get lots of customers,” said Eliza proudly.
 
So far, she’s sold more than 127 containers and processes about 20 to 30 pounds of cucumbers per week. It takes a couple of days for each batch to be completed. Once done, she and her mom, Sarah Broad, deliver them to their customers’ homes. Each new order includes a handwritten note from Eliza. They also feature a snappy Pickles 4 Life logo that Eliza helped create. 
 
“Daniel Island keeps her pretty busy,” said Sarah. “She started out with about 15 customers and they kept asking for more!”
 
Sarah posted about Eliza’s offerings on the Daniel Island Moms page and things skyrocketed from there.
 
“She got 53 orders!” added Sarah. “It’s been amazing. She caught up with those in a two-week period…probably two-thirds are repeat customers.”
 
Another key element of Eliza’s business is giving back. In October, she launched a charitable component to Pickles 4 Life, donating a portion of her proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House. This month, she is raising money for pediatric cancer awareness in recognition of a family friend who is fighting lymphoma, and in December she hopes to donate to Toys for Tots. 
 
“It feels really good,” said Eliza, of her philanthropic efforts. “Because I know we are giving lots of money to them.”
 
Get the latest on Eliza’s business by following her Facebook page “Pickles 4 Life.”
 
BAKING BUDDIES
 
Daniel Island kids Ava Delpino and her good friend, Lane Grizzle, are also using their time and talents to help others. Following in Alice’s footsteps, the pair recently hosted a bake sale in Smythe Park to raise money for the same family coping with breast cancer.
 
They made a variety of baked goods and other homemade treats, including cupcakes, brownies, chocolate-covered rice crispy treats, pretzels, and vanilla wafers. 
 
“It felt very good,” said Ava, a sixth grader at Daniel Island School. “I love helping people in any way that I can, and with everything going on, it was the least we could do to help.”
 
The girls’ efforts brought in $425 for the family.
 
“Thank you to everyone in the community for helping us raise money to support such an important cause,” added Ava.
 
UNMASKED GOODNESS
 
Daniel Island resident Alice Beavan is feeling similar good vibes about the business she created during the COVID-19 pandemic. An arts and crafts lover, the 11-year-old makes tie-dyed face masks in a variety of colors and styles for customers of all ages. The idea blossomed over the summer, when she noticed her mom, Lisa Beavan, making bags with quarantine supplies and masks in them. Alice had some tie-dye on hand and decided to try it on a few of the masks. Soon, her dad, Greg Beavan, started wearing them at his job at the Daniel Island Club. 
 
“They wanted some, so that’s how it started!” said Alice. “Then I started getting lots of orders.”
 
She uses all different tie-dying methods, noted Lisa, sometimes using rubber bands and even forks to create unique designs. It takes her about two days to complete the entire process. 
 
“I like doing the tie-dying,” added Alice. “And I like the different techniques.”
 
So far, she’s made close to 1,000 masks, and the orders keep coming.
 
“I don’t think any of us anticipated that it was gonna turn out like this,” said Lisa. “By any means. I think it was something fun to keep her busy during COVID and then all of a sudden the next thing you know it’s taking off! The first week, I think she did 220 masks.”
 
And, like Eliza Broad, Alice’s new business venture is allowing her to focus on helping others in need. She has donated masks to fire departments on both Daniel Island and in her former community of Boston, to pharmacists at Delta Pharmacy, to the Delancey Street House in downtown Charleston, and to teachers at Daniel Island School. 
 
“I know that a lot of places are going through hard times and I wanted to give back,” she said.
 
On Oct. 24, she participated in a boot camp fundraiser for a local Daniel Island mom who is battling breast cancer. As dozens gathered to take part in the fitness event, Alice set up a booth to sell white masks tie-dyed in hot pink. 
 
“Alice, you should be so proud of yourself,” said island resident Terry Haas, who stopped in at Alice’s table. “You are crushing it!”
 
Through her efforts that day, Alice was able to donate $543 to benefit the mom and her family. 
 
“This is so good for her,” added Lisa. “Because she’s learning about business, helping and giving back. It’s awesome.”
 
To learn more or to place an order for a mask, email Lisa at lisabeavan@gmail.com.
 
KINDNESS COUNTS
 
The Daniel Island News is starting a new, regular feature for the paper focused on kids’ acts of kindness. We want to know about these kind deeds — large or small — that kids on Daniel Island and the Cainhoy peninsula are sharing with their neighbors. From entrepreneurial ventures that give back like the stories you are reading here or simple acts like helping a neighbor with yard work or donating their birthday money to a good cause. Do you know of a local kid who is spreading kindness using his or her time and talents? Let us know by filling out the survey at surveymonkey.com/r/KidsKindness and sharing their story. If you have questions, email Daniel Island News Editor Boots Gifford at boots@thedanielislandnews.com.

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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