Naples fifth grader sells headbands for nonprofit aiding Nepal

NAPLES, Fla.- A Lake Park Elementary School fifth grader is raising money to help women and children in Nepal by making and selling unique headbands.

“We usually go to our favorite craft store, Michaels,” said Havana Layton, the 11-year-old entrepreneur behind Havana’s Headbands for Hope. “We’ll buy a flower and then we’ll add some jewels to it or little fancy things like this and sometimes we’ll get charms.”

The headbands sell for $10 each and all the proceeds go to the nonprofit organization Project for a Village. Havana says the money is used for medicine to help women and children and also goes towards building a library for the kids.

“It broke my heart so I just wanted to help them,” Havana said. “They don’t have much clothes, or water, they don’t even have schools so I would just be very grateful if I had a school there.”

“It’s amazing, it really is that she cares so much about other people,” said Monet Layton, Havana’s mother. “If we could tell her one thing to be in life, it would be to be kind. And I think she’s making us proud.”

Havana’s father, Thomas Layton agrees.

“It’s my favorite Homer Simpson quote. He says to his overachieving daughter Lisa: ‘Lisa, you’re my greatest accomplishment and you did it all yourself,'” Thomas Layton laughed. “We get that kind of, that same sense about Havana. She has a unique ability to apply herself towards really any task that comes her way.”

Havana has raised about $1,000 so far through the headbands. If you’d like to purchase a headband, contact Greg Turchetta, spokesperson for Collier County Public Schools, by sending an email to turchg@collierschools.com.