Four young BridgeMill residents spent their summer raising money for a good cause. They presented the money raised for Georgia’s Firefighters Burn Foundation on Wednesday. Making the donation were, front row from left, Hannah Hardman, Presley Hardman, Emma Parker and Serena Ortiz. Cherokee County firefighters who received the donation were, back row from left, Eric Hatten, Megan Grahma, Doug Hocker, Sgt. Brady Cornelison and Lt. Sarah Love.
Cherokee Tribune/Special
Cherokee Tribune/Special
The four, 12-year-olds Emmie Parker and Serena Ortiz, 11-year-old Hannah Hardman and 10-year old Presley Hardman, decided to get together and bake goodies to help the Georgia Firefighter’s Burn Foundation, according to fire spokesman Tim Cavender.
On Wednesday, the children and Gretchen Parker, Emmie’s mother, presented a check for $303 to Cherokee County firefighters at Fire Station 22 near BridgeMill to give to the burn foundation.
Founded in 1982, the Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation’s goal is to help burn survivors in their journey of recovery as well as to prevent others from experiencing the traumatic event of a burn injury.
Their mission is to partner with the fire service and burn care community to provide fire safety and prevention education, support medical facilities and assist burn survivors in their recovery, Cavender said in a news release.
At the beginning of summer the girls decided to sell baked goods, popcorn and drinks, with the donations going to a well deserved cause, he said.
Gretchen Parker decided to search the Internet and found information about the Georgia Firefighter’s Burn Foundation.
One of the event’s that intrigued the girls was a video on Camp Oo-U-La, Cavender said in the release.
The weeklong summer camp is provided by the burn foundation and provides children with the opportunity to engage in numerous self-esteem building activities and special events.
At Camp Oo-U-La, children with burn injuries are offered opportunities to grow in both their physical and emotional recovery, while forging and strengthening friendships and facilitating peer support in a safe and accepting environment.
“We wanted to give to the burn children,” Emmie Parker said.
“I felt bad for them and wanted to help,” Hannah Hardman said in the release.
To help, the girls spent several days selling their goodies to some of the golfers at the BridgeMill Golf Course. They also sold their baked goods at a car show in downtown Canton.
Gretchen Parker said that the girls were so dedicated to their cause they would sit out in the hot sun for four to five hours selling their brownies, cookies, cupcakes and other delicacies.
Cherokee County firefighters gave the girls a tour of the fire station and thanked them for their donation.









