In his after-school hours, fifth-grader Josh Comito has become a social entrepreneur in order to take on cancer in his community.
Last year, the young businessman enlisted five of his friends to join him, and JMJK Enterprises was born. So far, the pre-teens have sold two successful products and donated $1,300 in proceeds to the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center.
“I wanted to earn a lot of money to give to the center,” says Josh. “We’ve all had friends and family who have had cancer, and it makes me feel good to help.”
For their first venture, the group decided to create rainbow loom bracelets. They pooled their allowances to purchase materials and assembled the colorful jewelry in their free time. They sold more than 100 bracelets at the Aviv Centers for Living in Peabody and to friends and families, raising $300. They proudly presented a check to the Cancer Center in March 2014.
This fall, JMJK—Josh Comito, Marissa Eisen, Kolya Gerasev, Max Schecter and Joseph Tanger— introduced a second homemade product of chocolate lollipops shaped like cancer awareness ribbons in the colors associated with specific cancers. They sold pink lollipops in October for Breast Cancer Awareness month at Infinity Boutique in Swampscott, a local women’s clothing store. They also went door-to-door and set up shop again at the Aviv Centers for Living, where they sold hundreds of lollipops, raising a total of $1,000.
“We donate the proceeds because cancer is a terrible thing,” says Kolya. “My uncle had cancer when he was my age, but he is okay now because people knew how to help him.”
