Jai and Sitara at their Christmas tree stall last weekend. Photo via family
Dec. 10, 2024 By Shane O’Brien
A pair of Long Island City schoolchildren spent the weekend raising money for charity by selling Christmas trees along Center Boulevard.
Sitara and Jai, two eight-year-old students from PS/IS 78 Q, decided Friday night that they wanted to make a difference this holiday season, choosing to raise money for Ronald McDonald House by selling Christmas trees on Center Boulevard.
With the help of their parents, the two friends bought 10 trees and 10 tree stands from a store in Woodhaven before selling them outside the Queens Public Library at Hunter’s Point. The pair sold the trees for $99 a piece or $125 with a stand included.
Sitara and Jai spent three hours selling trees on Saturday, selling eight trees, before selling the remaining two trees on Sunday morning.
When explaining the campaign to their parents, Sitara and Jai said they thought “it would be nice to help some children who are hurt or sick.”
Sitara’s father, Kent, said the pair raised over $500 for the Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit dedicated to families with sick children. The parents of the two children have also pledged to match the donation, bringing the total money raised to over $1,500.
Kent said he plans to present Ronald McDonald House with a check later this week.
Kent said Sitara and Jai caught the attention of passers-by on Center Boulevard with the slogan “$99 for a Christmas tree; all money goes to charity.”
He added that several people who had already bought their Christmas trees gave cash donations to the campaign because they were so impressed by the two young friends, including several Italian tourists who had taken a bus tour to see the LIC waterfront. Kent said that a number of Italian tourists also posed for selfies with Jai and Sitara.
The two friends are already preparing to repeat the campaign next year when they plan to sell 20 trees and sell them earlier in the year at a time when fewer people have already bought their trees.
Kent said he was a proud parent watching on as his daughter and her friend brave the cold conditions to raise money for charity over the weekend.
“I was very moved,” Kent said, adding that a number of people complimented Jai and Sitara over the weekend. “At least three people told us, ‘your kids are so impressive, please make sure they do this again next year’.”
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