Hand-me-downs prompt girl to start charity garage sale

She wanted to do something to thank the Make-A-Wish foundation and something to honor the memory of Elisabeth. So in the summer of 1999 she organized a garage sale and donated the money to the foundation in memory of Elisabeth Hillstrom. The sale raised $200.

The following year she had another garage sale and raised even more money. The tradition continued year after year with more items donated and more people volunteering.

"It just kept growing," Leslie Stitt said.

And Elizabeth Stitt was at the forefront of the drive, with her sister Katie close behind. It was so important to Stitt that she planned her life around the sale. She often did her brother's chores so he would drive her around to collect items for the fundraiser.

The garage sale raised so much money over the years they were able to sponsor a child for the Make-a-Wish foundation and started donating money to area hospitals' infant bereavement programs. These programs give items to parents whose infants have died.

Over the years, Stitt almost never gave up the reins.

"Even when she was at BYU, she organized the whole thing," Leslie Stitt said of her daughter.

She only let go when she went on a mission to Brazil. However, women in the neighborhood did not want to let the tradition die, so it lives on in her absence, according to mother Cindy Hillstrom. She said it takes 10 people to do what Elizabeth Stitt did, but she's grateful the neighborhood has kept it alive without her.

The small Huntsville garage sale has since bloomed into something bigger.

"It's no longer Huntsville; we now call it Ogden Valley Charity Garage sale," Leslie Stitt said.

In its nine years of operation, the garage sale has raised $25,000.

The Hillstrom family is also still involved with the garage sale. They've held it at their house for nine of the 10 years. With the sheer number of items gathered, it is now held in the Hillstroms' corral.

"This is such a good cause; we can't let it go," Cindy Hillstrom said.

The 10th Ogden Valley Charity Garage Sale will continue today, starting at 8 a.m. at 9520 E. 400 South in Huntsville. All proceeds will go to charity and are tax deductible.

Because of countless donors and volunteers, many sick children's wishes have come true and many parents comforted over the years.

And it all started with hand-me-downs.

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E-mail: lwilde@desnews.com