Gabriella Cooperman’s Cookies for Charity Celebrates 11 Years!

16-year old Gabriella Cooperman of Highland Park is determined to make a difference in the lives of others, and her annual cookie and lemonade stand (Cookies for Charity) is helping her achieve her goal. Since she was 5 years old, Gabriella, who is a junior at Highland Park High School, has been selling lemonade and her mother’s home-made cookies to raise money for Equestrian Connection, a charitable organization located in Lake Forest that offers therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with special needs.

This year marks the 11th anniversary of Cookies for Charity, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday, August 27th and 28th from 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday. Since Gabriella hosted her very first lemonade stand back in 2005, Cookies for Charity has raised over $100,000. Every penny has benefited Equestrian Connection and their Adopt-A-Rider scholarship program for children who need hippotherapy (horseback riding therapy), but can’t afford it.

Near and dear to her heart, Equestrian Connection has helped Gabriella’s younger sister Danielle, who was born with low muscle tone and has been challenged with other developmental delays. Before Danielle started riding at a very young age, she could barely speak or sit up straight. With Equestrian Connection and the horse’s help, Danielle finally learned to walk and talk at the age of four.

When Gabriella realized that other children needed this type of therapy, but couldn’t afford it, she decided she wanted to help. For the past 11 years, she’s set up shop at the top of her street, on the corner of Sheridan Road and Lakeside Place in Highland Park, selling her mother’s famous heath bar crunch chocolate chip cookies, home-made chewy sugar cookies, and cups of lemonade to support the important work of Equestrian Connection.

“I’m really proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish over the past eleven years, and I’m so appreciative of the support I’ve received from my friends, my family, and the community,” says Gabriella, who has single-handedly secured 21 sponsors for this year’s cookie and lemonade stand. “It’s wonderful to know that the money we raise is directly impacting the lives of those with special needs,” she adds. “I’ve seen how Equestrian Connection has helped my sister, and I’m so happy to see others get the special therapy that they need.” Some of the money that Gabriella has raised throughout the years has also helped care for Equestrian Connection’s horses.

This year, Gabriella’s goal is to raise $21,600, so she can cover the weekly riding expenses for six children. “I’m very excited about our 11th anniversary,” says Gabriella, who will be helping her mother bake over 6,000 cookies for this year’s sale. “There will be a lot of people walking by the stand on their way to Ravinia and it’s also the same weekend as the Taste of Highland Park and the Port Clinton Art Festival” she adds. “With directional signs around town sending people my way, I’m feeling really good about achieving my goal!”

For more information, please email cookiesforcharity@yahoo.com. To make a donation online, please visit cookiesforcharity.org and click the “Donation” button. You can follow Gabriella on Twitter @cookies4charity and add her on Snapchat by adding the username cookies4charity.

Details at a Glance:

Date: Saturday and Sunday, August 27th and 28th

Time: 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday, 10 am to 6pm on Sunday

Place: Corner of Sheridan Road and Lakeside Place in Highland Park (Two blocks east of Ravinia Festival’s back gate)

2016 Cookies for Charity Sponsors:

ABT Electronics

Argo

Arm & Hammer

Barry Callebaut Chocolates

Chicago Bears

Cook Construction

Dart Container Corporation

Domino Sugar

E-Z Up

Kerrygold Butter

Michael's Chicago Style Red Hots

Oberweis Dairy

Paint-Rite

Pappas Company

RothArt Productions

Rust-Oleum

Sunset Foods

The Spice House

ULINE

Ultragrain Flour by ConAgra Mills

Winger Marketing

Fun Fact:

In the past 11 years, Gabriella and her mother have baked over 44,000 cookies for the Cookies for Charity lemonade stand!