By Benjamin Millar
When Kingsville four-year-old Willow Cameron saw footage of the bushfires that have been dominating television news reports, she asked her parents to explain what was happening.
Her mother Lauren and father Dave told Willow that the bushfires have been wreaking havoc in large swathes of the country, meaning that people and animals were losing their homes.
They explained that this meant many people had lost all of their belongings to the fires, including clothes and toys.
“We’ve donated her toys before, so she asked what could she give,” Ms Cameron said.
“So she and my husband decided that she could raise some money by selling some cupcakes and cookies on the Saturday morning.”
The family baked up dozens of cupcakes and cookies, then put the call out via the local neighbourhood Facebook page.
Ms Cameron praised the community spirit that swung into support behind Willow’s fundraiser.
“They were amazing and supported it immediately, with people driving around to our home to buy and even donate without buying any goods,” Ms Cameron said.
The sale raised $150, which was matched by her parents and grandparents, taking the total donation to $750.
“This went to the CFA VIC, WIRES and a local fire fighters group in NSW where two of her grandparents live,” Ms Cameron said.
