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Union students donate to Make-A-Wish
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Fourth-graders Max Josten (left), Steven Burchtold, Andrew Albert, Antonio Gay (kneeling), Alexis Petro, Jaki Prusak, Vinny Testa, and P.J. Kostalis showed their excitement for their Make-A-Wish fundraising venture "The Bulldog Bakery" on Jan. 5.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Fourth-grader Charisma Ojeda (right) helped first-grader Laura Tyson (left) pick out the perfect treat at the Bulldog Bakery.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Students from Lynn Stoll's second-grade Union classroom looked happy about their final selections from the Bulldog Bakery on Jan. 5.
By SARAH FOOR
Fourth-graders at Union Elementary did more than just give money to the Make-A-Wish Foundation – they earned it.
The students were intent on working for the funds they would donate to the organization. So they brainstormed with their teacher Marilyn Johnstone and created the Bulldog Bakery.
“It felt like the perfect idea. It’s after the holidays and plenty of people have piles of Christmas cookies to get rid of or families can keep the fun going a little longer by making some more. Our fourth-graders are the oldest here at Union, so it’s great to see them display leadership skills,” Johnstone said.
Dozens of gingerbreads, brownies, cookies, cupcakes and doughnuts, baked by the fourth-graders and their parents, were on display for younger students. Each guest was given a plastic bag and asked to point out what treats they wanted and each individual sweet was only a quarter. Fourth-grade helpers sealed up the plastic bags and collected the funds, all of which were headed to Make-A-Wish.
The project was ultra-successful, as the students were able to donate 461 quarters – $115.25 to Make-A-Wish.
Johnstone said the project was important so the fourth-graders could learn about the economic process, but she insisted that service was the focus.
“We’re proud that the students are learning philanthropy. We are so lucky to be happy and healthy, and through Make-A-Wish, we can help other kids be happy as they are dealing with medical issues,” Johnstone said.