One thoughtful and inspiring young girl has raised $50,000 for Black-owned businesses in Minneapolis. Kamryn Johnson, who's just 9 years old, wanted to help people in her community who've been affected by the coronavirus pandemic or by looting in the city, so she teamed up with her friends to make and sell colorful friendship bracelets. And, well, they raised a whole lot of money for a great cause.
Kamryn, who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with her family, and her friend Tanner recently decided to make homemade bracelets to sell outside of her home to help raise money for Black-owned businesses who might have been affected by recent reports of looting and the impacts of the ongoing pandemic, according to local news outlet Fox 9. "I told my mom m idea and she said that we should give the money to the people in Minneapolis. And I said that would be a great idea," Kamryn told CBS News.
Kamryn told Good Morning America earlier this month that she likes "helping people." "I just hope the money that we earn that we can build up some Black businesses and provide the food and water that they need," she said.
And in the last two weeks, the little girl has managed to sell a whole lot of friendship bracelets. She's sold bracelets to neighbors, but also some famous friends of her dad Ron Johnson, who is a former NFL player and a sports analyst who mentioned his daughter's fundraiser on his radio station KFAN. And in a matter of days, she raised over $20,000, according to CBS News. Now, Kamryn has sold so many bracelets that she has raised $50,000 so far, according to The St. Paul Pioneer Press, and her parents are blown away by the support.
"We are super proud of her. This turned into a much bigger deal than we ever could have imagined," Kamryn's mom Shani Johnson told Good Morning America. Shani also told Fox 9 that even the moms have gotten in on the action to keep up with production, calling it an "all hands on deck" situation.
It isn't just the money Kamryn raised with her bracelets that has made a difference, but also the conversations about race that have sprung up alongside the sales. "Every time a customer comes, I always tell them why we're doing this," Kamryn told Good Morning America.
Kamryn's fundraiser has since grown into a GoFundMe account so that, as her father wrote, "more people from all over have the ability to donate to her friendship bracelet drive uniting people one bracelet at a time." So far, it's raised over $37,000.
