STEPPING up for charity was a piece of cake for one Woosehill girl: Isabella Waistell has raised more than £1,000 for the Cleft Lip And Palate Association (CLAPA).
The charity supports people affected by a cleft lip or palate and held an awareness week between Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 16.
The five-year-old, with a bit of help from Mum Debbie, made acts of kindness bags. They also took part in a walking challenge setting themselves a goal of hitting 12,000 steps a day across the course of the week.
Born with a cleft palate, Isabella decided to raise funds for the charity that has helped her over the past few years.
With an initial fundraising target of £100, Isabella and Debbie have raised more than 10 times that – and they hope to raise more.
Debbie said she has been “overwhelmed” by the response from everyone who has donated to their JustGiving page.
She said: “We have received donations from not only people we know but also people we don’t who have heard about the fundraiser through the Facebook Woosehill community group.
“Every donation, message or thank you note just encouraged me to get those steps in each day, so to have that extra push made me want to keep going.”
The Acts of Kindness bags included a crafting kit with stickers labelled Be Kind, a book mark, a pencil and sweets.
Isabella had previously created similar bags at the start of the pandemic last year, in a bid to cheer people up.
This time, she delivered 300 bags to the local community with the aim to put smiles on people’s faces in the area.
Debbie said: “The amount of people that have said to me what a lovely gesture the acts of kindness bags were and how much it has brightened their day is just amazing, it’s all about making someone’s day.”
Isabella received thank you messages from residents, as well as a gift from the team at the Morrisons Woosehill branch, to thank her fundraising efforts.
“My daughter is so kind and has been through so much, we are all so amazed and proud of what she has done to raise awareness for the charity and to cheer people up with her kindness bags,” Debbie said.
A spokesperson for CLAPA said: “Isabella has done a fantastic job in taking part in Step up for Clapa for this year’s Awareness Week.
“Raising such an amazing amount within such a short amount of time is truly inspiring and amazing.
“We are so grateful for her efforts and support.”
To donate, log on to justgiving.com/fundraising/Debbie-Waistell11
