SABETHA, Kan. (KSNW) – Call her the boss. A Sabetha middle schooler is using her love for jewelry to raise money for the Kansas Honor Flight.
“I just like having, like letting people have a smile on their face. It just makes me feel good,” said Avery Herrmann.
Avery, 11, started making earrings several years ago after being diagnosed with staphyloma in her right eye.
“Her vision therapist had told me we needed to find something fun that we could do for motor skills that wouldn’t feel like work,” said Avery’s mom, Mary Herrmann. “I made jewelry when I was a little girl, and I thought, well, perfect let’s try to do that, and she loved it.”
Ther Herrman’s love for the Kansas Honor Flight, a nonprofit that sends Kansas veterans to Washington D.C. free of charge, began years ago when Mary’s grandfather, Robert, was chosen to go on a trip.
“He had always talked about it being a trip of a lifetime for him up until the day he passed. That was one of his fondest memories,” Mary explained.
After Robert died, the mother-daughter duo decided it was only right to keep his memory alive and support the organization. That’s when they began selling their handmade jewelry online and at a local store in Sabetha, Kan. All of the proceeds from their Abundant Love jewelry line go directly to the Kansas Honor Flight.
“The sweetest thing is she doesn’t really make any money as an entrepreneur because she gives them away,” laughed Mary. “Not the greatest business plan, but it’s definitely a good hobby, and it’s really fun to watch her, and it’s fun to watch the community connect with her over the love of earrings.”
“It makes me feel really good inside and happy,” Avery said.
Since 2017, Avery has raised more than $6,400 and paid for eight veterans to visit D.C. Click here to learn more about the jewelry.
