Fundraiser by scooter scooting

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Two youngsters raised more than $120 for charity Wednesday and Thursday, mostly by swooping in on their scooters and yelling “charity bake sale” at any and all pedestrians and motorists.

Their tactics might have been aggressive, but they said they were simply trying to raise money for the Glendale Humane Society and the K-9 unit of the Glendale Police Department.

“If we give money to them they can buy more things to train the dogs,” said 10-year-old Mary Vischer.

In many cases, the $1 cupcake sold for $10, or the $0.25 orange sold for a few dollars, they said.

The residential corner north of Glendale Community College is usually a hub of entrepreneurial kids with lemonade stands, residents said.

That was until 9-year-old Daniella DiPaolo asked her neighbor if she’d be willing to help raise money for animals.

“With the last few days of summer, they decided the needed to do an important project,” said Jennifer Vischer, Mary’s mother.

So they got their supplies and spent Monday and Tuesday baking so they could use Wednesday and Thursday to sell their wares — cupcakes, rice crispy treats, iced tea and oranges from the DiPaolo’s tree. Everything was $1 or less.

Every dollar counts at Glendale Humane Society, which receives no public funding, said Tina Marie Ito, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors.

“We exist because of donations, because of people like those little girls,” she said. “It’s so wonderful that they’d think of us and they’d think of the dogs and cats at Glendale Humane.”

The girls named their “nonprofit” after their band, the Jonney Hedz, which they helped create with Daniella’s uncle, Frank Tycer.

“It’s amazing what these two do,” he said. “They always have projects going on.”

Nga Nguyen, a neighbor and friend, saw the bake sale signs and said the children are an example for the community.

“It’s nice to see children be proactive about causes in their community,” she said. “That’s the trait that makes people who live in Glendale special.”

Their parents said there’s no secret to their daughters’ entrepreneurship. They simply encourage them to be outdoors often.

“When she’s home, I’m asking her to read,” said Jennifer Vischer. “She’d rather do this than summer reading any day.”