When Sarah McCauley's uncle, Tim McCauley, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2004, Sarah felt helpless. What could a 12-year-old do to help?

But a light bulb went off when the Atlanta girl was learning to knit. She would make scarves and sell them to benefit the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation, where Sarah and her family attended support groups to help deal with her uncle's illness.

Family photo (ENLARGE)

Sarah McCauley, 13, sells scarves to help the Southeastern Brain Tumor Foundation. She hopes to raise $4,000.

COMING UP • Pretty in pink. Wear your pink. Drink the pink. Help a pink charity. Restaurant Eugene is throwing a pink party, complete with pink drinks and roses, on Tuesday. . A ticket is $35 and includes three pink drinks and a $10 donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation's annual Three-Day Breast Cancer Walk held in October. The pink-a-palooza starts at 6:30 p.m. in the restaurant's orchid room. Reservations are recommended, and the party is limited to 18 ladies (or guys who dare to wear pink). The restaurant is at 2277 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. Information: 404-355-0321 or www.restauranteugene.com. • Bag it for kids. Thousands of children in the metro area have no way to get new book bags and supplies this school year. Simon Malls are collecting them until July 31. They can be dropped off at any guest services booth at Gwinnett Place, Lenox Square, Town Center at Cobb, Northlake Mall or the Mall of Georgia. Information: 770-649-7117 or www.childrn.org.

"I wanted to do something to give my uncle some hope," Sarah said.

So in the summer of 2005, Sarah named her business Strands of Hope, set up a Web site to sell the scarves and established a goal of raising $1,000 for brain tumor research.

"We didn't even know she was planning it until she had it named and the Web site up," said her mother, Kim McCauley. "She's kind of a quiet child who holds her emotions in. She'd obviously thought about this a lot, but she never talked to us about it. She just set it up. The only thing she asked us was who people should make the checks out to."

Sarah sold scarves to friends, family members, people at the brain tumor foundation and to others who heard about her endeavor and bought them through her Web site.

She had already passed her $1,000 goal by the time her uncle died in January at age 44. But she continues to knit.

Stan Epperson, president of the brain tumor foundation, said he was not only impressed with Sarah's desire to help but also that she raised so much money. Of course, he helped.

"Two of her scarves were Christmas gifts for my wife and my daughter," Epperson said.

He said funding for brain tumor research has been dropping, so every dollar is precious. And while the group has several planned fund-raisers, very few involve children.

"I've been so impressed with Sarah, she's a very mature young lady who's very selfless," Epperson said.

Sarah's mother said she thought the project was a coping mechanism for Sarah at first, but now "I think she really feels like she's making a difference."

Sarah makes as many of the scarves as possible, but when she needs a lot, like for the upcoming Race for Research being staged by the foundation Saturday, friends and family members help out with the knitting. Epperson said they've given Sarah her own table at the run, which gets under way at Lenox Square at 7:30 a.m. Sarah is hoping to have 50 scarves ready to sell, at $25 to $40 each.

That should help her toward her new goal. The teen has already raised more than $2,300, and her new goal is $4,000.

"I wanted $5,000, but everyone said it was too lofty, so I went with $4,000 instead," said Sarah, now 13.

When asked why she's still selling scarves now that her uncle has died, the usually bubbly teen becomes quiet, and her voice grows thick.

"Because I don't want anyone else to die," she said. "I know what it feels like to lose someone you love, and I don't want anyone else to go through what my uncle did."

If you'd like to buy a scarf, Sarah's site is www.expage.com/strandsofhope, or there's a link for it at www.sbtf.org.

For information on the 5K race or 2K walk: www.sbtf.org or 404-843-3700.