First-graders show their kindness through fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Friday, Apr. 17, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY —The first-grade class at Saint Vincent de Paul School just completed a long, fun, empowering, compassionate journey. Last month, the students presented a check to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for $674, money they had raised collaboratively over the past few months.   

Their journey began in December when they watched the movie Yes, Virginia, which is about a girl who believes in Santa Claus but is teased by those who don’t believe in St. Nick. This movie has positive messages about standing up for your beliefs and a person’s power to affect positive change. 

After discussing the movie with her class, Mary Gist, Saint Vincent’s first-grade teacher, had her students write a letter to Santa. She told her students that Macy’s Department Store would donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for each letter, and that money would make a positive difference in a child’s life.

To help explain this opportunity, Mrs. Gist showed her students a YouTube video that presented the mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This started the wheels turning in the minds of the first-graders.  

“Those kids could be us,” said Ben Beaudry.

McKenna Gardner then said, “Let’s have a bake sale.”

In collaboration with the economics unit, the first-graders hosted a bake sale for the school during recess and earned more than $400.  

Then, applying at home what was learned in school, Erik Mickelson built a lemonade stand and netted $50, which was donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

In addition, the class worked with their artist in residence (also Mary Gist) to create a concentric circles art piece that was auctioned to the first-grade parents; the Pedroza family donated more than $200 for that art piece. Circles commonly represent unity and wholeness, so the art piece illustrated the first graders’ unity in working toward a common goal to help others.  

Research shows that students who engage in service learning are more likely to treat each other kindly, help each other and care about doing their best, while elementary and middle school students who participate in service learning also have improved problem-solving skills and increased interest in academics.

“It was amazing how this project just evolved,” Mrs. Gist said. “My students are living the gospel every day, simply doing what Jesus asks of all of us.”