MANSFIELD, Ohio — Nine-year-old Destiny Bertram enjoys playing video games, drawing and watching television. But more than that, she likes helping people–so much so that for the last three years, she has organized her own fundraiser to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The first year she raised about $600 and then increased that by about $200 the following year. And now, she’s excited to announce that she’s reached this year’s goal of $1,000. “And I’m still going,” she exclaimed Thursday afternoon.
Each year, the fundraisers have been held in conjunction with the Race Car Show in Mansfield, an event organized by Bertram’s cousins, Terry and Karolyn Myers. All proceeds from this event go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Bertram will continue with her fundraising efforts until the day of the race car show, which will be held this Sunday, May 3, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. at 1282 Park Ave. W.
She began this year’s fundraiser about three months ago and saw support from many of her teachers and administrators at her school and from local businesses. She reached her goal Tuesday, feeling both happy and shocked by the news.
On why she wanted to help raise funds for the hospital, she simply said, “so I could help kids with cancer.”
Her friend and her cousin are both affected by cancer, she said.
At the show this Sunday, she will be selling crafts with her family as a final effort to help raise money for cancer research. Not only that, but she will have the opportunity to shave her cousin, Terry Myers’, head.
She said she bet him that if she were to raise $1,000 by the day of the car show, she would get to shave his head.
“And he accepted,” she said gleefully. “He thought I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I did.”
Bertram said she’s participated in other fundraisers before and that she hopes to continue organizing more in the future.
“I just want to help people,” she said.
Both her mother and grandmother couldn’t have been prouder.
“I’m so proud of her,” her mother Paula Bertram said. “She’s doing a wonderful job.”
Her grandmother Jo Bertram added, “You don’t see too many nine-year-olds doing that.”
