Students at Robert S. Hyer and John S. Bradfield elementary schools will be recognized during the Celebrating Healthy Kids and Change for Children's event on April 14 at the Park Cities YMCA for raising $12,890 for the Heart Center at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas
The Highland Park ISD elementary students spent two weeks participating in a community-service project that included washing cars, selling lemonade and walking dogs to raise money to help fund the Heart Center's beads of courage program, which allows "children to tell their story using colorful beads as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate milestones they have achieved along their unique treatment path," according to a news release.
“It was amazing to me how many students had a personal connection to Children’s,” said Lana Raley, a counselor at Bradfield. “I heard several stories about moms who volunteer at the hospital, and friends or neighbors who have been to Children’s for treatment. I think the relevance of this cause to their lives played a huge role in its success.”
As a part of the fundraiser, fourth graders at both elementary campuses assembled coin collection boxes, and Children's employees even went to the schools to talk about the Heart Center's work and the hospital's mission.
“I could tell that they were serious about this fundraiser and really took this project to heart,” said Mellissa Myers, a family nurse practitioner in cardiothoracic surgery at Children’s. “We are very touched by their dedication and interest in helping others.”
The Women's Auxiliary to Children's Medical Center, which is a non-profit organization that supports the Children's Medical Center, was so impressed with the students that it decided to match the funds that were raised, which brought the total amount to $25,780.
The Celebrating Healthy Kids and Change for Children's event, which is where the students will be recognized for their fundraising efforts, is a free event that is open to the public and promotes good health and well-being by encouraging families to have fun while participating in active play, philanthropy and educational opportunities. The event is being hosted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 14 at the Park Cities YMCA and will include live music, carnival games, a garage sale and more.
“It was so rewarding to work on this project and to watch how passionate our students were about finding creative ways to raise money,” said Miki Johnston, the PTA community service chair at Hyer.