412 Gives Back raises $9K selling cold drinks on cool day in Pine
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On a positive note, it was far from the lowest recorded temperature for the day in the Pittsburgh area, according to the National Weather Service.
Raise your hand if you remember bundling up when it hit 43 degrees Fahrenheit on Aug. 19, 1977.
But given the relative scorch of this particular summer, organizers of the second annual 412 Kids Give Back lemonade fundraiser were hoping for something other than an unseasonably cool drizzle when they set up a series of stands in Pine.
Despite a need for windbreakers and sweatshirts — actually, some of the hardier young people did fine without them — the sale of everyone’s favorite citrus-flavored beverage went as well as could be expected.
When the stands’ tallies were totaled, the amount came to $8,795, all of which benefits Make-A-Wish Greater Pennsylvania and West Virginia Inc. Further donations upped the sum to $9,000.
The event was part of the ongoing philanthropic efforts of 412 Gives Back, formed last year primarily by Pine residents with the mission of raising money and awareness for area nonprofit organizations, while fostering a sense of community among those who attend the group’s activities.
Following afternoon lemonade sales, participants gathered at Emerald Fields Park as 412 Gives Back co-founder Amy Fleming counted cash and received reports from various locations of stands. When everything was calculated, fellow co-founder Billie Higgins wrote the results on a series of poster boards.
Then the 412 Kids, sons and daughters of the nonprofit’s supporters, gathered for a revelatory video. Some of the taller youngsters raised boards bearing the applicable numbers in sequence, complete with a dollar sign and comma.
In January, the first 412 Gives Back Gala raised more than $90,000 for Make-A-Wish, and the 2025 event is scheduled for Jan. 11 at the Fox Chapel Golf Club, with the theme of “A Mad Hatter Affair.”
For more information, visit www.412givesback.org.