Sibling Philanthropists
The Kluesner siblings of Washington, from left, Hattie, 5; Lilian, 13; Octavia, 8; Timothy, 11; and Otto, 3; hold up some of the crafts and art projects they sold at their fundraising stand this year. They raised more than $450 for Coltyn’s Pajama Party.
There’s no age requirement for philanthropy. The children of Tia and Brent Kluesner of Washington prove that. For the last four years, these five siblings, Lilian, Timothy, Octavia, Hattie and Otto, who range in age from 13 to 3, have set up a lemonade stand on the sidewalk outside of their home at the corner of Third and Cedar Streets in Downtown Washington to raise money for various charities.
Last year they donated $400 to The BackStoppers, a nonprofit organization that supports the families of first responders killed in the line of duty. Before that, they made donations to the Franklin County Humane Society and The Pregnancy Assistance Center.
This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the family nixed the lemonade and instead sold a mix of homemade arts and crafts. The result was their most successful fundraiser yet — more than $450 for Coltyn’s Pajama Party, a project launched by Steven and Kristin Straatmann, Villa Ridge, in 2013 in honor of their son, Coltyn, who was born with biliary atresia, a rare disease of the bile ducts where they become inflamed or blocked. Coltyn spent a lot of time in St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and the family likes to give back by donating pairs of new pajamas for children who are in the hospital at Christmastime.
Kristin Straatmann was impressed by the Kluesner family’s generosity to the cause.
“A huge thank you to the Kluesner family for their donation!” she remarked. “They raised money by selling crafts they made and were able to donate 24 pairs of pajamas!!! The kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital will love them.”
The Kluesner children organized their first lemonade stand — a formal setup given to them by a neighbor — in 2017 as a way to raise money to buy an American Girl doll. They raised around $100 selling lemonade and cookies the Saturday of the Washington Town & Country Fair. The next year, when the kids wanted to set up their stand again, Tia told them they had to do something more positive with their proceeds, so they selected a charity. And they had as much fun selling to customers as they had the year before, even though they didn’t get to keep any of the money, Tia said. So they have made it an annual thing, normally setting up their stand the Saturday of the Washington Town & Country Fair.
Their cousins from Seattle, Ore., come to town for the Washington Town & Country Fair, and they usually help make and sell the crafts and snacks. It’s a great bonding experience for all of them, Tia said. “Two years ago we turned our basement into a craft area. It’s like their art studio, where they make all kinds of things.”
While other children across the area are making crafts and projects for the Fair’s annual home ec show, the Kluesner kids are making items to support local charities. Last year’s crafts included a lot of woven pot holders, Tia said. This year’s were more art focused. “They called it Artfest,” she said. “The kids learn about money and community service and thinking up ways to raise money. One year they made braided friendship bracelets.”
The kids credit their grandma, Debbie Toedebusch, with giving them ideas on what crafts to make.
“My mom is big into crafting, so we did some things like make Santa Clauses out of paintbrushes, ornaments, signs, flower magnets, and the kids sold their paintings that they had been making,” Tia said.
This year, because the Washington Town & Country Fair was canceled and their cousins didn’t visit, the kids set up their stand the third Saturday in September. They put up a sign at the stand noting funds would be donated to Coltyn’s Pajama Party. Tia posted about it on her Facebook page, and the customers who came by all gave extra money to put toward the cause.
“There are no prices on the items. It’s all donation based,” Tia said.
For more information on Coltyn’s Pajama Party, search the project on Facebook. To make a cash donation that will be used to purchase new pajamas for sick children, send checks payable to Coltyn’s Pajama Party to P.O. Box 56, Union, MO 63084.