From Deseret News archives:
Kids' cash troubles go Lickity Split
Free Lunch
It all started two years ago, when eight children knocked on the door of Elaine Bland, a volunteer for VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) assigned to help families living in poverty on the Navajo Indian Reservation. The children wanted to earn money doing odd jobs, but Elaine, 55, didn't have enough cash to help all of them.
"Come back tomorrow," she said, "and we'll figure out a way for you to start a business. Then, you can go to as many movies as you'd like."
The next afternoon, the children returned. "We sat down in the living room and started talking about all the different things we could do," recalls Elaine. "I had a Navajo basket hair decoration sitting on the table, and somebody said, 'Hey, this looks just like a lollipop. Why don't we make something like this out of chocolate?' "
"Running their own business has given these kids a lot of self-confidence and know-how," says Elaine, who advises the children as Lickity Split's general manager.
Hoping to show that anything is possible with perseverance, Elaine wanted to share a Free Lunch chat after a recent visit to Salt Lake City to receive a small-business award. "Most of these kids now want to go to college and start their own businesses," she says. "That can only help their tribes."
After that first planning session in Elaine's living room, the children spent two months creating glass molds to make Navajo basket lollipops from white and dark chocolate. Lickety-split, they sold their first order to a woman in Colorado, and more kids became interested in joining the sweet after-school venture.
Soon the group was creating other chocolates with a Native American theme: spirit bear and Indian corn lollipops, "four sacred mountains" chocolates and animals such as buffalo, wolves and lambs. The kids are now planning to open a retail store, but the ultimate goal, says Elaine, "is to take this idea to other tribes and have them create their own unique chocolates. This could help a lot of kids save for college, or at the least, buy computers and Internet service for their homes."
Comments
- High school girls soccer: All-region 8:26 p.m.
- More than 2 bars per block in S.L. 8:25 p.m.
- Police: Dad spanked son over veggies 7:55 p.m.
- ABC in talks with Cuomo 7:50 p.m.
- FBI: pair tried to extort John Stamos 7:47 p.m.
- Penny, Cardinals complete 1-year deal 7:47 p.m.
- Beyonce talking Vegas shows 7:46 p.m.
- NFL fines Ochocinco $30K 7:46 p.m.
- County may cut down on overtime 7:44 p.m.
- Service honors late Wizards owner 7:41 p.m.
- BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
- Yet again, we learn BCS is a big joke
- Storm pounds Utah for 2nd day
- Cougars in better mood about bowl
- Williams' late jumper tops Spurs
- Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
- Ranking the bowl games
- $2M error could mean layoffs
- Witness: Mitchell stalked victims
- Dr.: Mitchell seeks signs from God
- Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
277 - Letters: Global warming a lie
212 - TCU to play Boise in Fiesta Bowl
205 - BYU football: Bronco weighs in on Hall
161 - Cougars going back to Vegas
147 - Utah/BYU rivalry can be more civil
141 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
119 - Andersen apologizes for Jordan hoax
104 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
101 - Harpring's NBA career is over
99
For the latest news in the health care debate and how it affects you...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Joyce Gannon offers the following advice...
Wow. That's a pretty crooked way to sell tickets. I'll be skipping future...
Next week will be a huge week for the Bengals. With games against West...
The government warned us about this (Global Ice Ige warnings in 1975).
why leave Bonner open? has he not burned us "enough" times? You guys are...
Now I'm not down with bruising or beating your kid, but parents need some...
Al Gore did take initiative in creating the internet. He has never said he...
Taxes hurt.
Dick is exactly right. No way the BCS geniuses wanted to let TCU anywhere...
Mendenhall, his assistant, Mad Max, and Jorgensen...the Four Musketeers....
Yes, Amatuer Radio operators are called Hams.....


You can be the first to comment on this story.