Kids give bucks, get Bucs

By Denise Dick

Pupils contributed their change and dollar bills to meet the fund-raising goal.

POLAND — A good deed may be its own reward, but for North Elementary School pupils, there’s a more tangible benefit too.

The school received 500 tickets — two per pupil — to a June 22 Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Toronto Blue Jays game at PNC Park, Pittsburgh.

The tickets recognize the pupils’ efforts in raising $6,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation to send a 4-year-old Girard girl who suffers from cancer to Disney World. They brought their pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars to meet the fund-raising goal, said Principal Michael Masucci.

Teachers, community business people and parents also contributed to the fundraising. The school raised $5,000 to send a Struthers girl to the Magic Kingdom two years ago.

“Every single one of you at least put a penny into the jar,” Masucci told pupils at an assembly Monday.

None of the kids asked what was in it for them when they made their contribution, he said.

“What you did was wonderful,” the principal said.

The wish recipient was too ill to come to the school, but Jaclyn Beckwith of Akron, herself a wish child in 1999, thanked the children for their efforts. At 13, Beckwith, her mother and sister traveled to Maui, Hawaii, through Make-A-Wish. She recovered from the form of lymphoma-leukemia she suffered from as a child.

Masucci saved the baseball tickets for a surprise. The Pirate Parrot peeked from behind the curtain in the school gymnasium as Masucci spoke. The parrot finally emerged from the back of the gym to the children’s delight.

“He flew all the way from Pittsburgh,” Masucci said.

The principal called the Pirates a few weeks ago and told a representative about how the pupils raised money for Make-A-Wish. He asked for 250 tickets, one per pupil. He had to wait for an answer.

“Two days later, she called me back and she said, ‘Mr. Masucci, we can’t do it. We can’t come up with 250 tickets to a baseball game. I can give you five,’” the principal said, holding five tickets in his hand.

The Pirate Parrot motioned for Masucci to stop. He dug into his backpack and withdrew a stack of tickets in each hand.

The children cheered and applauded.

“She said she would give us 500 tickets, two for each student,” Masucci said.

Third-graders Emily Cammack and Kelsey Thompson, both 9, could hardly sit still at the news, and second-graders Jack Dodge and Nicholas Shorter, both 8, hugged.

“I’m a huge fan of the Pirates,” Emily said.

“They’re just a great team,” Kelsey said.

“And they’re fun to watch,” Emily added.

Neither Jack nor Nicholas has ever been to a Pirates game.

“I watch them on TV with my dad,” Jack explained.

He’s more of a Tigers fan, and Nicholas prefers the New York Yankees, but both look forward to next month’s game in Pittsburgh.

Each of the boys contributed to the Make-A-Wish fund although they couldn’t recall how much.

“I got it from my wallet,” Jack said.

“My mom gave me change so I could put it in there,” Nicholas added.

During the game’s fourth inning, the school name will flash on the scoreboard and a photograph snapped and sent to the school. When the game ends, each pupil will be able to step onto the baseball field and run the bases.