If Coronado were to detail all the community service done in the last decade, they’d be remiss if they left out the ceaseless efforts of the Elardo sibling duo. Jack and Grace Elardo started a pop-up stand in elementary school and have been bringing it back every year since.
When asked how it all started, Jack shares, “We started it when I was in fourth grade and [Grace and I] saw that there was a downfall in funding and we didn’t have as much fun labs and we thought our stands would be a great way to give back to the community; and because we really love the schools here, so that’s why we started it.”
Their philanthropic ventures started as a coffee, orange juice, and doughnut stand in 2017. In 2018, the pair set up a booth in Artisans Alley selling crafts. In 2019, they sold lemonade during the annual 4th of July Parade and hot cocoa during the annual Holiday Parade. During the pandemic, they set up yard decor around the island to remain socially distanced.
In October of 2020, they were awarded the 92118 Hero Award for donating the profits from their various ventures. The Elardos spent the spring of 2021 making frequent food deliveries to front line workers at Sharp Coronado Hospital. As Jack entered high school and Grace finished up middle school in 2022, Mayor Richard Bailey designated January 18th, 2022 to be “Jack and Grace Day” to honor their devotion to community service.
And this year, on January 18, 2024, at the Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) board meeting, the Elardos were given the “Volunteer of the Year Award” for Coronado Schools Foundation.
“We just keep continuing it because it’s like a new goal that we try to raise more money every year. We have the ultimate goal of making over $50,000 by the time that we’re out of high school, then donating the business to somebody else so they can continue the pop-up stand trend. We want to inspire the community,” says Jack. The pair has now raised over $36,000 for Coronado Schools Foundation (CSF) and its programs.
As for community service advice, Jack advises to “try new things and find a way to get connections with all kinds of different people because having any sort of connection helps you a lot.”
CUSD students should give a shout out to the Elardo siblings and take a page from their civically-engaged playbook. The Coronado community is eagerly awaiting to see what they have in store next.
