When 9-year-old neighbors Charli and Avri get together with 12-year-old Emma, they do what most girls their age often do – sing, dance, watch movies, play on the trampoline … oh, and raise money for cancer.

The girls recently made a $102 donation to UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital cancer patients after a neighborhood cookie sale. That initial act of kindness has since steamrolled into thousands of dollars for the foundation’s Cancer Patient and Family Assistance Fund that supports patients undergoing cancer treatment.

“This fund helps patients and their families deal with financial difficulties that can arise as they navigate their cancer journey – from money to buy gas to get to and from treatment or help with the electric bill or groceries,” said Jonathan Salazar, director of oncology services at the hospital. “This fund makes a big difference for patients and allows them to focus on healing rather than worrying about money.”

The spark for the girls’ generosity began one winter day when they were hanging out and looking for something to do.

When they told Charli’s mom, Chelsea Kantaris, that they had landed on the idea of launching an altruistic project – making cookies to raise money for people who have cancer – she urged them to do some research.

“I told them it was a great idea but asked them a lot of questions about where they wanted to donate the money and how they would do it. So they went and got their school computers and researched it more. They are fun and imaginative girls, and they figured it out,” Chelsea said.

Best friends for the past four years, the girls met in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in a newly built subdivision in Firestone. Charli, a third grader, and Avri, a fourth grader, are neighbors. The third spoke on their friendship wheel is Emma Copeland, a sixth grader from Westminster, whose grandma lives next door to Charli.

“We all moved here in in 2020,” Chelsea said. “The houses were brand new, and because of COVID, the girls and all our families have gotten pretty close. The three of them have grown up together these last four years.”

Since UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital is nearby and a frequent landmark they see on errands around town, it was their first choice for a donation as they learned more about the cancer treatments available there. When they Googled it and saw a red “Donate” button, that’s all they needed to launch them on their quest, they said.

“We were originally going to sell lemonade, but it was too cold. And then we thought about hot chocolate, but the weather was going to get warmer by the time we had the sale, so that wasn’t going to work. So we thought cookies were good for both kinds of weather,” Charli said.

During two consecutive snow days when they were off from school, they got busy in Charli’s kitchen and made about 100 sugar cookies which they hand cut into ribbon shapes, the symbol of cancer awareness, along with some heart-shaped ones as well.

Charli said: “It was fun, but it was very hard.”

Avri added: “I like baking, but it was a very long process. Since we made so many, it took a long time to frost them.”

Which they did later, in colors of blue and pink.

Once the frosted treats were done and ready for the girls’ cancer cookie launch, they made some signs, set up a stand in their neighborhood cul de sac and put the word out on their neighborhood Facebook page.

Their first customer gave them a donation without buying a cookie. Then a UPS driver stopped by next, and they were on their way. They received a lot of encouragement from neighbors and by day’s end, had surpassed their $100 goal by $2. They were so proud of themselves that they wanted to donate the money in person, along with a pile of cookies.

They arrived at the UCHealth Longs Peak facility reception desk with an envelope of cash, and a heart-felt letter inscribed with orange crayon: “We decided to raise money for cancer because it is good to spread awareness.” It ended with a wish that the $102, and cookies, would help patients.

But because the girls only signed their first names, the hospital was left to figure out who the mystery donors were.

That’s when the hospital staff sprang into action. They asked for the public’s help to find the donors through social media posts and reaching out to local news media. As luck would have it, a friend of one of the families saw the postings and within a few days, the girls were guests of honor at a hospital reception where they were properly thanked and feted.

“Gifts like these exemplify the spirit of compassion that exists within our community,” said Ryan Rohman, president of Longs Peak Hospital and Broomfield Hospital. “I’m so inspired, these girls are a reminder to all of us that even the smallest acts of kindness can have a profound ripple effect.”

The girls were especially excited to tour the hospital oncology suite.

“Charli, Avri and Emma’s initiative showcases the impact that young hearts can have in the fight against this disease,” said Jonathan Salazar, director of oncology services at Longs Peak Hospital. “When patients are coming to us for treatment, because of gifts like this, they can worry a bit less about meeting their daily expenses and focus on their health.”

Clearly, the friends never thought that their plan to bake a batch of cookies would lead to so much attention. Since the story has picked up traction and was posted on the hospital website, the $102 has ballooned into thousands of dollars from others inspired to make donations in the girls’ names.

“We were not expecting it to turn out this big,” Emma said.

Charli added: “It feels really exciting that people paid so much attention, and we raised a lot of money.”

And Avri: “I feel very proud because of that one act to raise money for cancer has caused a big wave.”

Now that they have experienced the success of their cookie sale and the power of giving to a cause, they want to continue melding their entrepreneurial skills and altruistic spirit with a summer cookie sale, with donations going to cancer or another charity.

“I am very proud of all of these girls,” Chelsea said. “To take a moment out of their day and think of someone else or even something so big like cancer and understand the effects of it on people’s lives … I have cried very happy tears knowing that other people see how sweet they are.”

Charli’s sentiment summed up what motivates the girls: “You can always do a little something to help someone every single day.”

To contribute to the fund started by Charli, Avri and Emma’s gift, go to www.longspeakhospitalfoundation.org/charli/ or call 720-718-3015.