by Kristen Kucharski
INTRODUCING JANE TEMPLE OF NAPERVILLE
Nelson Mandela once said that history will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children; yet, during these historical times, our children seem to be the ones that are guiding and teaching us to adapt and empathize.
Chrysanthemums are believed to represent happiness, love, longevity and joy and they are the very flowering plants that Naperville’s Highland Elementary 5th Grader, Jane Temple chose to anchor her Fall Fairy Gardens that she is creating to raise money for businesses that have been struggling due to the pandemic. What began as a backyard fairy garden project with her mom, has turned into a fundraiser to support struggling businesses.
“My mom posted it on Facebook and people said they were really nice and wanted to buy some,” Jane says. “The first weekend I made $630 and decided to donate it. I wanted to help the businesses because they were closed because of COVID and then again because of the broken windows……… I wanted to help them take care of their families if they needed the help.”
Since the initial weekend, Jane has made 250 fairy garden baskets, donating over $2,000 to the Naperville Chamber of Commerce to decide how to best serve the strained business community.
Each planter takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make and Jane’s siblings, Margaret, Madeleine, Will and Patrick sometimes help plant the flowers if she has too many orders at a time, but the design and décor is always completed by Jane.
“For the Fall, I will use mums. Mr. Hermosillo from Menards in Naperville is going to give us a special price on them. They will have a fairy or a gnome and other Halloween and Fall decorations in them. For Christmas, I want to do one with a small Christmas tree for indoors and I am looking at special fairies and gnomes now.”
Serving the community is nothing new for Jane and her family. They often coordinate large service projects that consume the space at their local church, St. Margaret Mary Parish in Naperville. They work together to make a difference.
“I am just really happy that people liked my idea and wanted to help me so I could help Naperville,” Jane says. “Our family believes that if you give from your heart people will listen and help however they can.” - Kristen Kucharski, Photos Submitted
