Community Star of the Week: Francesca Powers

NewYorkIslanders.com and Ridgewood Savings Bank are spotlighting heroes who are helping their community! Nominate a community hero here!
Despite going through an obstacle of her own, Francesca Powers opted to concentrate her energy and efforts on bringing joy to others and raise money towards breast cancer research, a cause that is close to her heart.

In August, Francesca received a diagnosis that had confirmed an ongoing issue that she'd had since third grade; permanent nerve damage in her foot. The condition limited the duration of activities like walks and bike rides - disheartening news for a 13-year-old.
COMMUNITY STARS
PAST COMMUNITY STARS OF THE WEEK
Nominate A Hero!
Virtual Free Throw Contest
Jesse Lebolt
American Cancer Society
Isles Buy Toys for Kids in Hospitals
Friends of Karen
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
But after trading in her previous birthday gift of a hoverboard for a Cricut Maker, Francesca was inspired to create breast-cancer awareness themed portable Starbucks cups, in honor of her grandmother who bravely won her battle against the disease.
"Francesca] just turned to me one day in the beginning of October and said, 'Mom, what if I raised money for breast cancer?'" Karen Russell, Francesca's mother said. "It was out of nowhere. Within no time - and completely on her own, I really had no involvement at all - she was altering these plastic Starbucks cups with all kinds of breast cancer decorations. It was incredible."
Initially, Francesca was selling the cups on her own and through the reach of social media. She's a member of a club called, Think Pink, at H. Frank Carey High School, where she is in eighth grade. The Think Pink club is a group that concentrates their efforts on breast cancer fundraising and awareness, and helped promote Francesca's cups.
"She raised almost $300 all on her own early on," Karen explained. "At the end of the month, she donated that to Memorial Sloan Kettering. She heard about an initiative they had where whatever you donated they would triple it. That ended up being the better place to donate to because her money could go really far."
Upon donating at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Francesca and Karen were stunned to receive such touching news.
"It turned out in the end that the doctor who was running it [at Memorial Sloan Kettering] was the same doctor who had treated my mother," Karen said. "We all just started tearing up."
Francesca has continued her efforts and is brainstorming more ways to use her Cricut Maker to create fun merchandise to raise money for breast cancer.
"Now, she's trying to come up with a shirt that she can now make to sell and raise money," Karen said. "It astonishes me that a 13-year-old kid out of nowhere wanted to do good for a cause. This comes from a kid who hasn't had a normal kid life because of her foot. She took her frustration with not being able to go on long walks or bike rides, so she turned it into a way to give back and raise money for breast cancer. She turned her negative into someone else's positive."
For more details on Francesca's efforts visit her Instagram page:
[@francescas_costom_designs
where she posts her products and takes orders.