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This year, with an assist from social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, the pair enjoyed their most successful drive to date, as they made use of technology to draw even bigger crowds to All Good Things at the Golden Horseshoe.
The pair’s father, Ken, said that news of the hot cocoa stand quickly went viral, as certain athletes and prominent names helped spread the word, courtesy of social media.
“Every year they try something new, so this year they’ve been able to spread the word by tweeting, and getting re-tweeted and things like that,” he said.
This is the eighth year that Evan has hosted the event, which has meager roots.
During the winter of 2006, as a kindergartener, he designed and built a hot cocoa stand in his yard, looking to “help people who are cold.” At first, funds that were collected went to a variety of local charities, but in recent years, the priority has shifted to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
In total, Evan, who hopes to continue the annual event until he goes to college in five years, has raised nearly $10,000 for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, including $4,000 at last year’s cocoa stand.
“We’ve helped a lot of people, and a lot of people have become a part of this,” he said. “At school on Friday [my friends and I] wore shirts that had the flier on it, and people are always asking questions. We’re always thinking of new ways to help people out.”
The cocoa stand features traditional bake sale fare, including cookies, brownies, and other baked goods. Chocolations in Mamaroneck donates the cocoa and The Nautilus provided the cups and napkins. Each year, there are also select a series of raffles featuring donations from professional sports teams and other local businesses.
This year’s most coveted prize was a hockey stick that was signed by every New York Ranger.
“The first time we got a big donation like that I was a little surprised, but honestly, I expected it. Everyone really has gone out of their way to help us out,” Evan added.
On Saturday alone, more than $2,000 was raised during the six hours the brothers were hard at work at their stand. Once the cocoa runs dry and the boys pack up their stand for another year, they’ll get to brainstorming about how to innovate things next year.
“They just care so deeply for others. This is my favorite event of the year, personally,” Nancy Joselson, a spokeswoman for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation said. “It all doesn’t magically come together. The kids are the magic.”
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