WINDEMERE, Fla. – At just 9 and 10 years old, two best friends in Windermere are showing how a simple act of kindness can go a long way.
The idea formed one chilly afternoon, when Claire O'Malley and Carmella Duell were playing outside.
"My neighbor yelled outside, 'Hey you guys, it's cold. Go put a jacket on,'" Claire's mother, Dena O'Malley, said. "Of course, the girls resisted. So she said, 'You know what? Not everybody has a jacket.'"
The the neighbor's words had an impact on the girls.
The two began knocking on neighbors' doors and asking if they had jackets to donate.
"The ideas that they have are actually coming from their head, so to see them actually sit down and work this out on paper and then bring it to life has been amazing." Kelley Duell, Carmella's mother, said.
The girls' passion led them to create CC Charities. Their parents are proud of their daughters' efforts to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of people.
"It touches us every single day, because it makes us realize what we should be doing in giving to these people as well," Dena O'Malley said.
In order to raise money, the girls make lemonade and sell it at the end of the Duells' driveway. They also bake cookies.
Neighbors have noticed the endeavors.
"Doing something that makes an impact and taking their compassion and their kindness and making a difference in the world just really makes you feel good." Brooke Wojdyla, a neighbor said.
One neighbor gave the girls the lemonade stand they now proudly sit behind to sell their wares. Parents said those walking by often chip in, knowing their money is going to a good cause.
"We want to just keep on helping and raise more money and do everything that we can to help them," Carmella Duell said.
The children's hard work has gotten results. The two girls have donated pillows and $1,000 to Family Promise of Greater Orlando, an organization that provides shelter to homeless families.
"It is really unusual for the children to kind of branch out on their own and do their own fundraising and have their own dream of how they can help," Tia Aery, executive director of the program, said. "I've actually seen children who start at their age helping and then go on to careers in public service."
The girls have also performed acts of kindness outside the Central Florida community. After the devastation left in Houston by Hurricane Harvey, they jumped into action.
"They realized there was a greater calling there, so they actually sent all the supplies that they had, which was about $1,500 worth of supplies, to Houston," Kelley Duell said.
Claire O'Malley and Carmella Duell have also started volunteering at Family Promise of Greater Orlando. The girls help and gain hands-on experience by making beds for those who are homeless.
The two plan to continue to channel their combined efforts to help those who are less fortunate.
"It makes me feel good to help other people and just care about other people," Claire O'Malley said.