Nine-year-old mounts earthquake relief effort

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Distraught by the devastation wrought by a 7.8 Richter earthquake in Nepal on Saturday, a quick-thinking 9-year-old came up with a creative way to raise money for the victims: she set up shop on 238th Street and sold her bubble blower, origami set, Smurf action figures and other toys.

Shortly after Riverdalian Mollie Trebach, a fourth grader at the Spuyten Duyvil School (P.S. 24), saw news of the earthquake on her family’s television, she had the idea to sell toys that she no longer used.

“I found two stools, I put a blanket over them — so it would be nice and fancy — and set out the toys,” she explained on Monday.

Within minutes of setting up shop at 11 a.m. on Saturday, neighborhood residents were appraising her wares, which sat above a sign clearly marked “Charity for Nepal Earthquake Victims.”

“I’m not shy. I just go for it. If my friend is feeling down or if I meet new people, I find a way to talk to them. I’m always making new friends,” Mollie said.

Some residents, including students at Manhattan College, offered to donate to her cause.

 

“They said, ‘Here’s a dollar.’ Or, ‘Here’s two dollars.’ It all adds up,” Mollie explained.

In the space of several hours, she was able to raise $27 from selling the toys. She decided to match that total with funds she had earned from her previous sales of water, toys and artwork.

After consulting with her grandmother Arlene Trebach, Mollie chose to donate the $54 to the American Jewish World Service Earthquake Emergency Relief Fund.

She said that her grandmother had matched her donation in turn, bringing it to a total of $108.

Mollie said that she felt “great” after donating and would have stayed out “all day” if she had not agreed to attend her friend’s birthday party in the early afternoon.

The fourth grader, who is interested in reading, mathematics, drawing and dance, said she would keep an eye out for new opportunities to donate and to educate herself about Nepal and the situation for victims there.

2015 Nepal earthquake, Mollie Trebach, Arlene Trebach, disaster relief, Nic Cavell
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