Student turns entrepreneur for animals

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press

Nine-year-old Kaydence Weary is no stranger to fundraising, especially where animals are concerned. 
The fourth grade student at Williams-Ledger Elementary is the 2017 Junior Ambassador for the Five Hills Scholarship program and has combined her drive to help homeless animals along with some entrepreneurial spirit. 
Kaydence operated her own lemonade stand during Lemonade Day this spring and planned to donate some of her proceeds to the Copperas Cove Animal Shelter. She brought in a net of $175 after subtracting her startup costs, said her grandmother, Dawn Hale. True to the Lemonade Day’s ideals of “spend  some, save some, give some”, Kaydence kept $50 for herself and planned to donate the remaining $125 to the shelter.
But then she and her grandmother came up with another idea.
“Kaydence was just going to donate the money she earned from her Lemonade Stand to the shelter, but I thought, how can we do more?” Hale said. “So, we brainstormed and went through different ideas. T-shirts? Too much cost. Bookmarks? Too small. Magnets? Too much cost. So we hit on bumper stickers – or just stickers – as they can be used many ways.”
The two sat down at the computer and worked together on the design.
“Of course, she said it had to have crowns to represent the royalty who work on helping the Animal Shelter throughout the year,” said Hale. “In researching the cost, I was going to go with someone online, but I’m thankful Wendy Sledd directed me to someone local here in town.
“I contacted Stickerman Creations and worked with Brian who was awesome in finalizing our design.  He also gave us a very good deal, knowing 100 percent of the proceeds would go to the animal shelter.”
Weary and Hale are both pleased with the final product and have had 250 stickers printed, which they are selling for $2 each. They hope to end up with $500 to donate to the shelter from sticker sales.
“We want to ensure we raise as much as we can for the shelter especially with the winter months coming,” Hale said. “We are working to see if any business will let us put the stickers at their location to sell to help us reach our goal.”
This is the second year that Kaydence has raised funds to help animals. She had many pets, said Hale, including picking up snails from the yard. 
“She has had, bunnies, lizards, and fish. She loves animals,” Hale said.
Kaydence and her family have continued to be busy helping other pageant royalty and volunteering in the community.
“When Kaydence was crowned the Copperas Cove Junior Ambassador, we were excited to have another opportunity to raise more funds for the Animal Control facility since helping homeless animals is her platform.”
In addition to her fundraising, she has also assisted the shelter during its monthly free adoption events. 
“I feel really happy they’re getting homes and their new owners will love them,” Kaydence said. “I love to help animals because you can cuddle with them and they are great companions,” Kaydence said. 
If all goes well and the stickers sell out, Kaydence plans to order more. 
She is also preparing for the 3rd annual Howl-O-Ween Puppy Pawlooza on October 28, which she is hosting with Emily Kimball, Pre-Teen Miss Five Hills. She finds it very rewarding to see the support the event has had in the community. 
“I feel joyful that a lot of people came out to support and help collect stuff and save homeless animals with me.”