Though she’s gone, Olivia Sacco’s generous heart lives on in the community and among the people who honor her memory, raising money just like she did.
And now, with the help of Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon’s office, Olivia’s family runs lemonade stands to raise money for the Olivia Rose Sacco Memorial Scholarship fund.
Born in 2013, Olivia Rose Sacco was a fifth-grade student at Deerfield who loved to give back, spending her summers with family raising money for local animal shelters by selling lemonade to the community. She died in 2024 due to her condition, septo-optic dysplasia.
Trisha Sacco, Olivia’s mother, said the condition resulted in Olivia being born with an underdeveloped pituitary gland, necessitating the need for medication since the day she was born, to replace the hormones her body lacked.
But despite adversity, Trisha remembers her daughter as being a happy, bright, and cheerful little girl who wanted to give back.
“[Her condition] didn’t affect her mood one bit,” Trisha said. “Olivia was just the friendliest little thing… She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.”
In a twist, Trisha said she looked up to her daughter and the positive outlook she had.
One of Olivia’s favorite summer traditions was to set up a lemonade stand at the end of her driveway with her brother and cousins. Now, the Sacco family and the community who supports them come together to raise money for students in the area. Olivia’s family opened the lemonade stand again this year, on August 26.
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“It is a simple, yet powerful way to celebrate the life of a girl who, in 10 years, inspired love, laughter, and connection throughout her school, her neighborhood, and her community, Assemblywoman Buttenschon’s office said in a statement.
The assemblywoman herself said it was an honor to “…celebrate the light Olivia brought to us all.”
“Her smile was contagious, her spirit was bright, and her heart was one of kindness and service,” Buttenschon said. “I am so proud to support this effort and help ensure her memory lives on through the opportunities we can now give to others.”
Trisha said she was thankful for all the community support and recognized faces from last year’s fundraiser, feeling support for Olivia’s memory becoming a lifelong commitment.
She hopes that there will be plenty more lemonade stands in Olivia’s memory in the future.
Besides just having a big heart, Olivia was an avid learner who loved school, according to a statement from from Buttenschon’s office, saying she would actually cry when summer vacation started.
The Olivia Rose Sacco Memorial Scholarship honors a Whitesboro Senior who exemplifies the values of kindness, compassion, and strong character, reflecting the qualities that defined Olivia’s life.
“The sacco family continues to honor Olivia’s life through love, action, and power of community,” Buttenschon’s office said in a statement. “Her story is one of joy, generosity, and enduring light. And through this event, her spirit lives on in every student who will be supported through her scholarship.”
For more information and an application, visit highschool.wboro.org/our-school/counseling-college-and-career-center/scholarships
