Kaylee Cahoon holds up a #CahoonStrong sign with her grandmother Tira Beary and Dee Schmitz, owner of the Heritage Building. Cahoon designed the signs with the help of Schmitz. She is selling them for $10 to help support her dad Christian's medical bills.
Kaylee Cahoon with her grandmother Tira Beary counting out the money raised from the last week with Dee Schmitz. There was $280 in the envelope this week. Her fundraiser to support her daddy's medical bills has raised $330 so far.
SEELEY LAKE – After attending the candlelight vigil at the Cahoon's home Sept. 17, six-year-old Kaylee Cahoon told her grandparents Tira and Steve Beary she wanted to make a yard sign that said #CahoonStrong. She said she is a Cahoon and wanted to show support for her daddy Christian who was injured in a plane crash Sept. 2. With a little help from Dee Schmitz at Heritage Office Stop, not only did she design a yard sign for her yard and bedroom, she is selling them as a fundraiser to help her dad pay his medical bills.
After Cahoon decided she wanted to make a yard sign, her mother Holly sent her a bunch of photos. Cahoon picked out her favorite photos of her family – one with her, her parents and her baby sister Kendall when Kendall was born, one of she and Kendall because "it is a cute picture and I love my sister" and a photo of her parents together "because I love them."
"It was important to Kaylee to have the whole family in the pictures - Christian, Holly and both girls," said Tira Beary.
Cahoon worked with Schmitz to design a yard sign with #CahoonStrong. After making one with black, bold text for the yard, they made a pink one for Cahoon's room because pink is her favorite color.
Schmitz posted the sign in the front window at Heritage. When a customer asked if they could purchase one, she reached out to Cahoon and Beary to see if she could sell them for $10 as a fundraiser. Cahoon was very excited to be a part of helping her daddy.
"I'm making money for them," said Cahoon.
"This town is wonderful," said Schmitz who is donating the printing and laminating for the 17 X 6 inch window signs. "100% goes to her to help her daddy."
Cahoon picks up the money raised from Schmitz every week. After receiving the first envelope, Cahoon told her daddy on the phone, "There was $50 in there. You are almost rich."
After picking up money for the first time, Beary recalled Cahoon asking how everyone knew what was going on with her family and why people wanted to support her.
"She said, 'I'm not a princess, I'm not the president, I'm just a regular girl. Why does everyone want to love and support what I'm doing?'," said Beary. "It's a big thing. She's just six years old and she's found a way to be a part of all this. Everything is getting a little bit better every day. This is just a way that she can be involved."
Beary said Cahoon has been very specific with what to do with the money.
"It is important to her that we don't do anything with the money until her daddy gets home so she can be the one to hand it to him and help him," said Beary. "I think it is really helping her to feel involved. There are a lot of people doing a lot of things but this is something Kaylee can do to be helping. She loves it and she loves the sign in the yard."
Cahoon would love to see where people are hanging their sign. If they are willing to post a photo of their sign to Facebook and tag #CahoonStrong, Beary said she will take Cahoon around to see them, if they are publically displayed, or show them the photos on Facebook.
"It's makes me feel good and it makes me feel like everyone cares about my family," said Cahoon who has included her nine-month-old sister Kendall in everything. "The Cahoons have been around for a very long time. Now that everyone is caring about my dad, it makes me feel happy."
The signs can be purchased at the Seeley Lake Elementary School and at Heritage Office Stop for $10.
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