Strum by strum, seven-year-old Lilyana (Lily) Roman is raising money for SolutionHealth’s healthcare workers. She has been playing her ukulele and singing in her front yard to collect donations for Elliot Health System.
Her mother, Ashely Pultar, says Lily was concerned about COVID-19 and wanted to make sure the medical providers had the tools they needed to help.
“I wanted to help people and I wanted to be outside. My mom talked about the virus and I thought I could help people by raising this money for the doctors,” Roman explains.
Lily’s family chose to support Elliot Health System because they weren’t sure where to donate the money, they also go to Elliot Health System, and they knew they wanted to give something locally.
“We thought we’d only have a couple of dollars, and we got more so we’re happy to be able to donate to the campaign,” Pultar says.
Lily had a birthday parade in April, and she asked donations instead of presents. Her mother says some donations were also given on social media.
Lily was able to raise $500 by standing outside and asking for donations from neighbors and family members. Her mother says she wasn’t shy when it came to asking neighbors to support her good cause.
Her summer camp also found out and matched the donation, and her aunt was able to get Verizon to match that donation. In total, Lily has raised $4,000 thanks to the matching.
“Lily has received a lot of support, more support than we ever thought she would receive for sitting on the sidewalk, playing her ukulele, and singing,” Pultar explains.
Lily started playing the ukulele just a year ago and has been practicing. Her mother says she came up with an idea. “She thought if people were going to be giving donations, she wanted to give them something back. So, she chose to sing songs to them and play the ukulele,” says Pultar.
The seven-year-old doesn’t plan to stop, she’s still asking for donations. If you’d like to donate, her family asks that you make the donation directly to the Elliot Emergency Fund or the Front Lines NH campaign and write, “in honor of Lily” in your donation.
Lily’s message to everyone that has helped her fundraise, “Thank you for helping me raise money for the hospital. I really appreciate it for the hospital.”
See Lily’s story on WMUR!
