KKJ Gives Big to the Alzheimer’s Foundation

Team Name: KKJ

Team Members: Jessica Hinkley, Caitlin Cotter and Katie Wells

Charity: Alzheimer’s Foundation

When it came time to choose a charity for North Branford High School’s Student Council’s Big Give, a trio of freshmen­­–Katie Wells, Caitlin Cotter and Jessica Hinkley­–had no doubt what charity they would be fundraising for–the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

“We all have related Alzheimer-related situations in our families, including my grandfather,” said Hinkley. “By choosing this charity, I felt like I was trying to help find a cure for my grandfather. We were close, but now with the disease, he can’t remember us too well.  Having him lose his memory when we knew him so well is very difficult.”

Team KKJ–named for the girls’ first initials­–set a fundraising goal of $500. Team members solicited donations from families and friends with Hinkley noting that everyone was “very generous” as the cause was close to so many. The girls also collected and redeemed cans and bottles.

Though fundraising totals have not yet been revealed, Hinkley did say her team exceeded its goal. She is looking forward to the banquet where the total for all 20 teams participating will be revealed.

“I know, as a group, we were hoping for $10,000 like they raised two years ago,” said Hinkley. “I think we might be near there.”

In addition to looking forward to the banquet, Hinkley is also looking forward to participating in more projects like the Big Give in the future.

“Being involved in a project like Big Give was a good experience because we’d never done anything like this before,” said Hinkley. “It taught us responsibility and how to help the community. I’ll be helping my community a lot more because I did enjoy this.”