Girl’s love for animals pays off
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

SOPHIA FISCHER/Acorn Newspapers CREATIVE THINKING—Brooke Kaufman of Oak Park, left, and Lois Feller, a volunteer with Guide Dogs of America, hold some of the nearly 200 purses Brooke decorated and sold to benefit the animal charity.

An 11-year-old Oak Park girl has used her talents and love for dogs to raise $1,000 for Guide Dogs of America.

Brooke Kaufman met her goal in mid-December after nearly a year of creating and selling small denim handbags. The money will go toward the training of new puppies.

A budding designer, Brooke took her flair for art and clothing and decorated small purses she purchased at a local craft shop. She used paint, ribbon, fabric, fringe and beads to give each purse its own unique look. She made 190 purses abd sold each for $10.

Guide Dogs of America was very responsive toward Brooke, according to her mom, Robin Kaufman. Last spring, Brooke, a fifthgrader at Brookside Elementary School, toured the Guide Dogs of America facility in Sylmar to learn more about the program.

“I got to see what guide dogs do and what training they have to go through,” Brooke said. “I really liked it.”

The agency put Brooke’s creations on display in its offices. Lois Feller, a Guide Dogs volunteer, saw the purses and purchased two to give as gifts. Friends and neighbors saw the purses and wanted to know where to buy them. Feller sold more than 42 of the purses.

“I’ve never heard of a kid doing anything like this,” Feller said. “Not only did Brooke do something creative, but she took the initiative to sponsor a puppy. That’s really cool.”

Brooke got the idea when her older brother, Jared, was planning his bar mitzvah charity project. Brooke thought she could do something to help others, too. The Kaufmans have two dogs of their own, a golden retriever named Cody and a Yorkshire terrier named Parker, so it was natural for Brooke to choose a cause involving dogs.

“I’m so proud of her that she would use her creativity in a way that would help others,” Robin Kaufman said.

In the process, Brooke learned valuable business tips. To get the word out about the purses, Brooke and her mother talked to friends, took the purses with them to baseball games, and Kaufman told coworkers about the project.

“Brooke had to check every zipper to make sure it worked; she had to stick her hand in each bag to make sure there were no holes,” Kaufman said.

Brooke was invited to sell her purses at local holiday boutiques.

“We got such a positive response from people in the community, from friends and teachers,” Kaufman said. “We never expected to reach the goal so quickly.”

Brooke is already thinking about possibly making jewelry for her next project, and plans to continue supporting Guide Dogs of America.

“A lot of people were amazed I would do something like this,” Brooke said. “It felt good doing something to help.”