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Danielle Fiarito
Speeding the Cure $1 at a Time
Danielle Fiarito, a 12-year-old in the sixth grade, was diagnosed with Aphakic glaucoma at the age of 4. With her parents Maureen and Dan, Danielle has been raising awareness about glaucoma and raising money to fund glaucoma research.
In 2007, Danielle initiated a fundraising effort of her own — creating fun jewelry for her schoolmates. To announce the fundraiser, Danielle’s friends made posters that were placed around the school. Over a three day period, the students of Hawthorn Middle School selected from an array of handmade jewelry for sale: necklaces, bracelets & anklets, as well as Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) blue gel wristbands.
Danielle was clearly pleased with the results: “This was a cool thing to do. I just wanted to raise awareness.” As for her success as a jewelry designer, Danielle expects to continue creating.
Danielle’s dad Dan noted that raising in excess of $700 during school hours “is awesome, considering that the most expensive item went for $2.” He was further impressed by the generosity of his daughter’s classmates, many of whom just gave donations. In a phone call with GRF, he spoke about his daughter and wife with pride. In a soft voice he said that Danielle is basically a shy, serious little girl and this was a big effort for her.
Danielle’s mom Maureen is equally active in the Fiaritos’ fundraising efforts. When the Assistant Principle of Danielle’s school suggested that a table could be set up for an Open House in May, Maureen seized the opportunity to request GRF’s glaucoma educational materials. In an e-mail to GRF, Maureen stated, “I think we can definitely promote awareness with these events.” This additional opportunity featured Danielle’s jewelry, donated edible treats and GRF’s literature to complete the Fiaritos’ fundraising.
The final tally was $1200, a remarkable amount made possible by a very talented, enterprising young woman and her dedicated parents. As a final note Maureen Fiarito added, “A fundraiser doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. I encourage families to do something like this together to support a worthy cause.”
Pictured: Maureen and Danielle Fiarito.