With a steady handshake and a bright smile, Nola Greenfield welcomed each guest to her fundraiser picnic at Grant Avery Park.

“Hi, I’m Nola, welcome,” she said, as the sound of laughter echoed from the Jenga tower collapses and the scent of barbecue drifted through the air.

The event, held Sunday, July 13, brought together families, classmates, local businesses, and Town Supervisor Jim Sofranko in support of a cause close to Nola’s heart. By the end of the day, she had raised $3,536 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, surpassing her $2,500 goal.

“I was thinking of ways to raise money because my grandma had just survived breast cancer and I felt really helpless when she was struggling through it,” Nola said.

Both of Nola’s grandmothers and her great-aunt have battled breast cancer. She was just eight when her grandmother, Bonnie Bogardus—affectionately called “Granola”—was diagnosed. Nola remembers her parents driving to treatments and helping care for her grandmother’s two cats. The desire to help stayed with her.

The idea for the fundraiser came to Nola at the end of her fourth-grade year at Bennett Elementary School.

“I had this idea right in the middle of a lesson at the school and I was really excited,” she said.

With help from her friend and classmate Vivienne Villard, Nola quickly moved from idea to action. Her parents, Meg McIntyre and Jared Greenfield of Olivebridge, were surprised when she presented them with a complete plan.

“I said, ‘You’re going to have to make the plans, you’re going to have to make the invite and talk to people,’” McIntyre recalled. “She did.”

Nola selected the Breast Cancer Research Foundation as the beneficiary and drafted a list of sponsors. She assigned roles: her parents would grill, her grandmother would make jewelry to donate. She visited Bread Alone in person to ask for support. She asked her mom to drive her to Town Hall, where she spoke to Supervisor Sofranko about reserving the pavilion.

At the July 8 Town Board meeting, Nola and Vivienne presented their plan—and received unanimous approval.

“I was surprised by her knowledge, her dedication, and her inspiration to do this,” Sofranko said. “It’s inspirational for people my age—I am almost 70 years old—and it’s inspirational for people her age and even younger. It’s inspirational for everyone.”

The event spread through word of mouth and on local social platforms like Nextdoor. Support came from businesses like Bjorn Qorn, Bread Alone, and West Kill Brewery, and from classmates like 10-year-old Devyn Hopper.

“I donated some money. I like to support stuff like this,” Hopper said. “I like being around people and learning about a good cause.”

Despite her careful planning, Nola was nervous.

“I didn’t think that many people would come,” she said. “I was really worried that people would think that this is some lame event that a kid is organizing—it wouldn’t be that important.”

But the turnout proved otherwise.

As the day came to a close, Nola stood atop a picnic table to announce the end of the silent auction. Her grandmother watched from the crowd.

“I hope that Nola will take the experience and remember that she did this, she put this together, talked to people, went out to that edge beyond her comfort zone,” Bogardus said. “I hope that she can apply it going forward with difficult situations or opportunities.”

Amy Wu is a contributing reporter. Send correspondence to amy@theoverlooknews.com.