When Khloe Rubalcaba heard that her father’s aunt had cancer, she soon came up with an idea to help those who have been affected by the disease.
The 10-year-old fifth grader started selling bracelets and key chains as a way to raise money and send the benefits to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
“My husband’s aunt got diagnosed with cancer and so they started holding fundraisers for her treatment,” Khloe’s mother Betty Rubalcaba said. “And so, everybody helped. We did several fundraisers. With Khloe, this is one of her favorite people. This lady is one of her favorite people and … I had to sit and explain to her what cancer was. A few days later, she said she wanted to raise money for people with cancer.”
With no shortage of creativity, Khloe got to work making little rubber band bracelets and key chains.
She started assembling them this summer with the help of her parents, her sister Kassandra, 9, and her two cousins Amadore Valles, 7, and Bella Urias, 5, going by the name “Khloe’s Crew.”
“She’s always been very artistic,” Betty said. “She started making little rubber band bracelets. She, her sister and her cousins began selling them. A few weeks into that, they started selling them.”
The key chains are made with melty beads.
“You just make a design on a paint board and then you iron it and it fuses together,” Betty said.
Her first goal was to raise $50, but Khloe and her crew easily surpassed that mark, raising $67.
For her, it’s all part of the plan of helping to raise as much as she can to help those who are not healthy.
“My favorite part is that when I sell them and get the money, I’m thinking about all those kids out there that are getting this money will be having good lives,” Khloe said. “I might have a good life but other kids may not. I just want them to feel the same way I do. I feel happy when I make one dollar. Even if it’s one penny, I’m excited to help out in any way because it’s going to help a kid out there who needs it.”
Khloe, who currently attends school at Austin Montessori Elementary, has taken a short break this past week from making key chains and bracelets due to the start of the school year, but she intends to get back to work as she has now set a goal of raising $100.
“Now with the school year starting up, we’re trying to get into the schedule again,” Betty said. “We’ve kind of stopped a little bit just to get her back on routine. But by Halloween, she wants to raise $100 for St. Jude.”
Khloe has made some different designs with the key chains and necklaces, including Baby Yoda from the show “The Mandalorian.” Other designs include cactus and a Nintendo switch and the game “Among Us.”
Betty’s cousin owns her own gym. A couple of times during the week in the summer, Betty would bring Khloe and her crew along where they would make the key chains and bracelets before selling them to other gym members.
“We would go out there and I would always do the afternoon (gym) classes,” Betty said. “Chloe would have her little set up and have a sign that said “bracelets for a dollar” and she would sit there. The women would come in and buy them. Mostly, it was my cousin’s gym people who would come in and buy the bracelets and key chains. We’re back at school and she’s hoping to sell some to the teachers.”
The bracelets and key chains didn’t take long to make, Khloe said adding that she would also make them at home at night.
“I had my mom helping me,” Khloe said. “My dad helped out, too. He also paid for the equipment. We would make like two or three each at night. But we would make small ones and big ones. I would say we would make five or two of the big ones. We would make as much as we could. We would stay up until 12 making them during the summer.”
While Khloe aims to continue making the bracelets and key chains, her mother is proud of the work she’s done along with her crew.
“It wasn’t prompted by me,” Betty said. “This is something that she came up with and did on her own. We’ve supported her. We bought her all the materials that she needs so she could do this. But it doesn’t surprise me. Both she and her sister have been going to Austin Montessori and so a lot of the curriculum revolves around giving back to the community and grace and courtesy. These girls, ever since they were 3, they’ve heard and seen acts of kindness all around them and it’s just something that’s second nature to them. They’ve been at this school since they were 3. They’re now in fourth and fifth grade. All the teachers they’ve had have shown them how to be caring human beings, how to be courteous and give back to the community. … My family is very giving and very loving. To know that they’re doing this, it’s heart-warming. It’s amazing to see.”
