3rd Grade Girls Give Gifts That Keep on Giving

Birthdays are such a focus for kids – time to celebrate, throw a party, eat cake, and open gifts! Recently a group of 3rd grade girls at Holy Family Catholic School in Shorewood chose a selfless way to mark their specialday.  Remarkably, these six students were all born on various days in February.  This year they threw a joint swim party at the YMCA and invited the girls in the class to join them for a splashy good time.  The party was complete with cake, fun, and a nontraditional gift idea.  The girls requested that their guests donate to a couple of worthy causes in lieu of receiving gifts purchased for them.  The outcome produced fabulous results, and left the girls feeling proud of accomplishing a common goal:   helping others.  The party goers showed up dressed for the pool while toting piles of new coloring books and crayons for the ‘Make Your Mark Foundation’. This foundation (http://makeyourmark7.org/) raises funds for pediatric cancer research, and supplies donated coloring books and toys to hospitalized children in honor of Mark Staehely.  Mark began collecting toys for other pediatric patients before losing his own battle with neuroblastoma seven years ago.  These generous youngsters also supported another important cause.  The birthday girls collected monetary donations totaling $265.00 for JDRS (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation).  Aware that their classmate, Luke Sellinger, is a diabetic, the party co-hosts presented Luke in the classroom with an oversized check for JDRS.  Thanks to the generosity of their guests, and the combined selfless act of forgoing personal gifts, this is one birthday that won’t soon be forgotten by all involved.  Holy Family is proud of these students for touching so many hearts!