11-Year-Old Girl’s Garden Raises Money for Childhood Cancer Research

An 11-year-old girl in Maryland started a garden during the coronavirus pandemic, but never imagined she would learn so much from it, especially about giving back.

The garden started out as a “quarantine project” for Kaylynn Eartwine to do in her backyard while she was out of school, WBAL reported.

“We wanted to do a quarantine project to persuade me that gardening, I guess, is fun,” Kaylynn said.

Kaylynn eventually thought it was fun and began to learn a lesson or two about having a green thumb.

“I also didn’t know that cucumbers have little spikes on them, so I picked one up one day, and I poked myself,” Kaylynn said.

The backyard eventually turned into a fruit and vegetable garden, and Kaylynn’s ideas grew along with the garden.

She initially wanted to sell enough produce to buy a bike to replace the one she had outgrown, but those plans changed into a more giving nature.

“I wanted to donate to a charity called Alex’s Lemonade Stand that helps children with cancer. I’m really close to someone who had cancer, so I wanted to show them I really am like caring about that,” Kaylynn said.

Kaylynn accepts donations for the charity, which helps fund childhood cancer research, but does not charge for the produce.

Kaylynn and her family have created a Facebook page called KC’s Farmstand to get the word out.

“One of the things I learned was that I don’t have to keep everything. I should give it away to those who need it,” Kaylynn said. “We can grow things that make the world a better place.”