Sudbury Friends Band Together to Help Boston Marathon Victims

What started out as a way for some local friends to stay in touch has turned into an impressive effort to help many tremendous causes.

In the spring of 2012, Nicole Garay, along with some of her friends, started L.N.W. (Local, Nation, World), a community service group of Sudbury sixth-graders.

Recently, this youthful group raised $1,500 in donations to benefit One Fund Boston, a relief fund aimed to help the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

"We were all going away to middle school the next year and not all of us were going to go to the same school so we wanted a way to keep in touch," Garay said. "Not only did we want to stay connected but we also wanted to help others and do something worthwhile, so we started L.N.W with a goal to make a difference." 

This inspiring group has hosted three fundraisers so far. The first two were lemonade stands and bakes sales. For the third they raised money for One Fund Boston by sending out an email to people they knew so they could donate. 

On June 22, L.N.W. climbed to the summit of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire to support the cause.  

"We have also donated $178 to Maria De Guadalupe School in Argentina, (http://www.mariaguadalupe.org.ar or https://www.facebook.comcolegiomariaguadalupe)," she said. "We raised that money at our first snack stand in June of 2012. 
     
Garay and her friends also raised $191.86 at another snack stand in October 2012 and donated it all to Gaining Ground, an organization in Concord that grows organic produce and donates it all to local food pantries and meal programs. 

L.N.W., along with the many other donors and organizations, has helped One Fund Boston reach a total of $60 million to help those affected.

Garay said her group has yet to decide which organization to donate to next. If anyone would like to help L.N.W., they can email atnicole.a.garay@gmail.com.

"Then I can contact them when we have a new place that we are going to help (or) donate to," she said.