Milwaukee Catholic Herald

Fifth graders make wish come true

Kenosha students raise $2,280 for Make-A-Wish Foundation

By Karen Mahoney
Catholic Herald Staff

A student throws a whip cream pie at a faculty member at St. Peter School in Kenosha. The May 21 event was a fund-raiser for Make-A-Wish Foundation. (Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero)

KENOSHA — Some of the most generous humanitarians in Kenosha don’t even have their driver’s licenses yet.

They’re the fifth grade students at St. Peter Catholic School and through penny wars, Lenten offerings, out of school uniform days, and donation containers, they’ve raised a good chunk of change to benefit children suffering with life-threatening medical conditions.

The students are led in their fund-raising efforts by their teacher, Sarah Dossett, and supported by the parish, school staff and parents. To date, the students have raised $2,280 for Make-A-Wish Foundation, which would be impressive even without knowing that Dossett’s class consists of only a dozen students.

The final effort was “A pie, a teacher and a face” on May 21. For $1, St. Peter students could purchase a whipped cream pie and aim it into the face of their favorite teachers or staff members. Proceeds from the event will be added to the total, and given to a Make-A-Wish representative on May 30 during an all-school assembly.

“Everybody has been extremely supportive and it’s great to have a staff behind this, backing up and even participating in our activities,” Dossett said. “We certainly wouldn’t have been able to have the pie contest if the staff wasn’t willing to do it.”

The Make-A-Wish drive was the second fund-raising effort for Dossett’s class. As a new teacher at the school she wanted to ensure her students understood the importance of Catholic stewardship and of reaching beyond themselves.

“Last year we raised $850 to the Humane Society and this year the kids voted on Make-A-Wish,” she said. “It’s a very good way for them to learn about helping other people, the community and volunteer opportunities ... and I tie the fund-raising efforts into the curriculum.”

Initially, students set their goal at $1,000. Students upped their objectives when they learned that with a donation of $2,000 they could sponsor a specific wish for a seriously ill child.

For Lisa Rasch, mother of fifth grade student, Maria, the contagious fund-raising efforts involved nearly everyone in the community.

“We even had an anonymous parent offer to donate $200 if the school raised over $200 for the penny war,” she said. “This fund raising proved to be good because all together they raised about $600 during the penny war.”

Students were offered the chance to don street clothes in lieu of their school uniforms as a reward for their hard work.

“The third grade won the war and they were given an additional free dress day,” Rasch said, adding, “They also had out-of-school-uniform days where they paid money to wear their regular clothes.”

According to Dossett, more important than the money raised for children battling severe illnesses was the revelation not to take the gift of life lightly.

“They have learned to appreciate what they have in their life and know what Make-A-Wish is for. They know that in making someone’s dream come true they learn not to take for granted what they have in life. This is a huge thing in general, and by bringing this up in Catholic school, it teaches them the morals and values and positive beliefs in a school setting.”

When fifth grader Maria Rasch learned of the $1,000 goal, she was a bit discouraged at first, due to the small size of the school, but those concerns quickly dissipated.

“Once we passed $1,000 and realized we could sponsor a wish, we all felt that we could do it and we were excited,” she said. “And it makes me feel great that I was a part of this. It’s like I am changing someone’s life.”

In incorporating the fund raising into her curriculum, Dossett is surprised at the organizing, planning and writing abilities of her young philanthropists.

“Their writing ability has just bloomed this year,” she said. “I had them write to Rachael Ray and Oprah about what we are doing and it has been a great experience for all of them. In fact, they motivated themselves when they upped their goals with less than a month to go.”

In her class lessons, Dossett reinforces the meaning of what it is to be Catholic and what the Mass is about, and each day, she said she witnesses the fruits of her labor.

“I try to help them think about why they are doing things, like praying the Lord’s Prayer and taking communion,” she said. “This year, we’ve been breaking down the Lord’s Prayer and talking about what it means; they are very receptive, but then, they come from wonderful, Catholic families, so they are easy to work with.”

One lesson Maria and her classmates learned throughout this year’s project was to work at understanding those who are handicapped by a serious illness or disability.

“I’ve learned that all of those children are just like us — no different,” she said. “But they have more serious obstacles.”

While it’s unlikely they will meet the recipient of the wish they have funded, during the assembly, students will hear from the parent of another child who was the recipient of a wish.

“Then, it will be up to the recipient to decide if they want to identify themselves or send pictures of their wish being granted,” Dossett said. “But, at the assembly, they will get to choose from a list what wish they want to grant.”

Although Dossett is proud of her class, the school and parish for their efforts and generous donations, Maria is more excited for the children and about what Jesus might think of the fund raising.

“I think Jesus is probably very proud of our class and it is good that we are spreading the word of helping people, so maybe we will inspire more people to give to charities,” she said. “To see the smiles on other children’s faces and know we were the cause of their happiness is a great feeling.”