9-Year Old Entrepreneur Raises $44K in Start Up Funds to Make Dolls That Comfort Kids Who Need Surgery

Charlotte Gould is only 9 years old and already has her own business, Stitches by Charlotte. She makes dolls for kids needing surgery because she knows firsthand how scary surgery can be. She lovingly sews each doll herself and hopes it will make other kids happy. Charlotte has already undergone 4 surgeries to correct a cleft lip and palate and says she will have to face even more surgeries.
She say she wants to help other children undergoing surgery feel better by making dolls that will bring them comfort. She sews and sells the dolls, then gives the proceeds to Barrow Cleft & Craniofacial Center at St. Joe’s Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona

Sewing is her passion

Charlotte's grandmother taught her how to sew, and she admits sewing is her passion. “This is what I’m meant to do,” she said. Her goal is to make different dolls for kids undergoing various difficult surgeries, including "cleft dolls, one doll for a girl going through chemotherapy and one doll for a baby who was born with only half of her heart.” Her dream is to create a line of surgery companion dolls for children undergoing surgery.

Charlotte's campaign

Charlotte was a finalist in the "Imagine If, With Jif" contest which searches nationwide for young entrepreneurs making the world a better place. As a part of the requirements for this competition, she had to create an Indiegogo page and raise money for her company. When the campaign ended, she ended up raising more than $44,000 in start-up funds.

Follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pg/stitchesbycharlotte or Instagram at www.instagram.com/stitchesbycharlotte