Two Carroll High School graduates are giving back to the community this weekend.
Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, the first 1,000 people who donate a dollar to the Northeast Indiana Burn Council near the front gate for the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Franke Park will get an Edy's ice-cream drumstick.
The fundraiser, Cones 4 Healing, was the idea of Katelyn Parsons and her friend Rachel Miller, who both wanted to give a little something back to the community before they head off to college in the fall. Parsons' uncle had once needed the services of the St. Joseph Hospital Burn Unit, but Parsons said when the duo contacted them with the idea of a fundraiser they were told they were not a nonprofit organization. After some more thought, they settled on raising money for the Northeast Indiana Burn Council.
Parsons' father, Chris, works on the line at Edy's Ice Cream, so she was able to get the company to donate 1,000 drumsticks to the cause. Several other businesses in the Fort Wayne have kicked in with gift certificates, so the young women will be running several games of skill and giving the certificates out as prizes. Other businesses that have donated to their cause are Pizza Hut, 816 Pint & Slice, Chop's, Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken, Flat Top Grill, Subway, the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, Moe's Southwest Grill and Granite City Food and Brewery.
The graduates will have some assistance from family and the Northeast Indiana Burn Council on Saturday to make sure things run smoothly. Parsons said they hope to raise $1,200. If the event goes well this year they may try something similar next summer.
