Bake sale raises $1,000 for farm

The riding stable was destroyed in a fire in March.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
McDONALD -- Jackie Small, Cameron Howard, Renee Meser and Aaron Thistlewaite don't know what $1,000 is.
Nonetheless, they and their classmates in Marilyn Kelly's first-grade class at Roosevelt Elementary managed to raise just that -- with a little bit of help.
The proceeds were donated to Colleen Campbell, owner of Sunbridge Farm, a North Jackson riding stable destroyed in a March 16 fire.
Campbell, who has owned the stable for 17 years, said the blaze caused about $200,000 damage, destroyed five horses and 30 years of accumulated equipment. The cause of the fire isn't determined.
Campbell didn't have insurance as the carrier had decided not to cover facilities that gave riding lessons. She was looking for other coverage when fire struck.
"I lost everything. We're just trying to make do," Campbell said.
Kelly knows Campbell because her two daughters -- Kendra, 7, and Emily, 9 -- have been taking riding lessons at Sunbridge for three or four years.
"It was a teachable moment," Kelly said of having a fund-raising bake sale March 29 to help Campbell. The subject being taught was money and how to make change.
Besides, Kelly, a self-described "animal person," characterizes Campbell as being "all about children and all about animals."
How this was done
So, with the help of parents and the donation of supplies from small businesses, the first-graders managed to put the bake sale together.
"They never thought they would make that much," their teacher said. It took 21/2 hours to sell the baked goods.
Jackie Small, 7, said she was confident that she and her classmates could raise $1,000.
"We were raising money for Sunbridge Farm," she said, because it needed help.
Both Jackie and classmate Cameron Howard, 7, said they felt good that they were able to help.
Renee Meser, 7, said she doesn't know what $1,000 is. Aaron Thistlewaite, who helped his mother make cupcakes for the sale, said he too had a warm feeling after raising the money.
Campbell said she doesn't know specifically what she'll buy with the donation but pointed out that saddles are about $500 each.
Campbell is currently using five portable stalls and her pasture to keep seven horses and is making plans to replace the barn that was destroyed.
This isn't the first connection between Campbell and Kelly.
Campbell has allowed Kelly to use her goat, chickens, ducks and potbellied pig in her classes.
The teacher is now raising ducks at her McDonald home in an incubator the school purchased for her. When the eggs are about to hatch, she'll take them to class.
Her pupils will be able to watch the eggs rock back and forth and hear the ducklings inside the shells
"The kids get so excited. It's an unbelievable experience for them," Kelly said.
It's also educational since her pupils will write stores about their various experiences with the ducks and hold a "baby shower" for them, the teacher explained.
yovich@vindy.com