About a week ago, Jeremy Ewen reached out to World’s Finest Chocolate corporate headquarters in Chicago to tell them about the incredible number of candy bars his 5-year-old daughter Aspen had just sold.
He made the phone call largely because he is just a proud father.But, he also had a sneaking suspicion his daughter had done something trulyspecial and unique.
His suspicion was confirmed when he was told the number of boxes of chocolate his daughter had sold was the second most ever sold by one person, according to the company employee Ewen was conversing with. When that call was placed, Aspen had sold 55 boxes. Since then, she sold five more, bringing her final total up to 60 boxes – 3,600 candy bars.
The most chocolate ever sold by a single person is such amind-boggling amount – about 300 boxes – it’s enough to raise an eyebrow.Selling that much chocolate would likely require a set of truly extraordinarycircumstances.
With Aspen, though, the only extraordinary thing is the amount oftime she spent camped out in front of local businesses with a seeminglyinsatiable desire to help raise money for her school.
“After two or three boxes, I figured, ‘OK, she’s done,’ just likeany kid,” Jeremy said. “Twenty-five boxes later, I’m sitting there going, ‘Wow.'”
Little did Jeremy know, Aspen was only getting started.
World’s Finest Chocolate plans to celebrate Aspen’saccomplishment by displaying her picture and some biographical information ontelevision screens throughout its corporate headquarters. The company alsoplans to send Aspen a special congratulatory gift.
Aspen just started kindergarten this year at Centennial Elementary School in Evans.
The school began its fundraiser just more than three weeks ago toraise money for uniforms, computers and other supplies
During the past few weeks, Aspen spent hours staffing a self-created booth; taking advantage of gracious invitations from Chipper’s Classic Lanes, Arc Thrift Store, Steak ‘n Shake and the King Soopers stores off 35th and 71st avenues.
She sold 15 boxes – 900 bars – just in the three-day weekend thatcoincided with Columbus Day.
Jeremy simply sets up Aspen’s table then sits back with amazementand pride in his eyes as she gets to work.
About a week ago, after selling 55 boxes, Aspen told her father she was done. She felt satisfied with the incredible number of bars sold.
Jeremy was more than fine with his daughter’s decision.Throughout the past few weeks, Jeremy – a single father – had made it clear tohis young daughter it’s her choice how many boxes she wanted to sell.
To Jeremy’s surprise, the next day Aspen requested a couple moreboxes of chocolate from her school … then a few more.
A couple Sundays ago, Aspen was feeling a little under theweather. Again, she was under no pressure to get out of bed, much less go outand sell candy.
Nonetheless, Aspen had five more boxes in her possession, and shewas self-motivated to sell them. With her body wrapped in a warm blanket, shesold those five boxes in her familiar spot outside of King Soopers.
As surprising as Aspen’s accomplishment may be to most onlookers,it doesn’t come as a surprise to her father.
This is just who Aspen is, Jeremy said. She wants to help others.And, in this case, she was unconditionally motivated to help her school.
“That’s Aspen,” Jeremy said. “She actually made daddy pull over a while ago because this lady’s car wouldn’t start. She said, ‘Dad, she needs help. She has kids in the car.’ … Words can’t describe how proud I am of this little one.”
