Big hearts, and a whole lot of stuffing—Fox Hollow Elementary students channeled some community magic this May, sending a wave of plush, foxy love to sweeten the stays of children at Primary Children’s Hospital.
The donation came on the heels of a successful fundraiser, which netted the school more than $25,000.
Bringing the “Fun” to Fundraising
“We wanted a way to extend our annual fundraiser as a community service project,” said Erin Gates, principal at Fox Hollow. “Fundraisers are a way to bring our whole school community together, and we saw an opportunity to use that energy to help others in need.”
Gates and school leaders partnered with a local company that helps schools with “Buddy-a-thon” style fundraisers, where students can build stuffed animal buddies in conjunction with their community fundraising.
Gates created a system that allowed students to earn their own stuffed buddy, and also donate some to other children. Naturally, they built stuffed foxes to share with Primary Children’s Hospital.
“When we created the personalized fundraiser, we added a component for a buddy to be donated to Primary Children’s Hospital,” said Gates.
They launched the fundraiser in February during Kindness Week.
Connecting Character Education to Community Service
The effort directly supported the Leader in Me curriculum, a social-emotional learning program adopted by Fox Hollow Elementary to foster healthy student habits.
“Leader in Me is based on the 7 Habits of Happy Kids,” said Gates. “It helps us think about ways we can grow in beyond the classroom and think of other children.”
Habit 4: Think Win-Win, teaches students to look for ways to serve others as well as benefit themselves. Habit 6: Synergizing, focuses on how the team can collaborate to accomplish more than an individual can alone.
“Working together makes it more fun,” said Cadi Genesi, a rising sixth grader at Fox Hollow. “It feels good to help others and do it as a whole school.”
“We continue to fine tune ways for our students to move from effectiveness to greatness as we learn our full potential,” said Gates.
Developing Real-World Skills at Home and School
Students were invited to reach out directly to family members and neighbors to secure sponsorships for their buddies. The more money a student secured in sponsorships, the more buddies they could build, and donate.
“He was motivated to make phone calls, follow up and show genuine gratitude to others,” Erin Burnett said of her son, Carson, a rising third grader. “Those interpersonal skills are not always readily practiced in our modern day daily practices.”
When the fundraiser concluded, the school held a stuffing party where students got to witness the direct results of their hard work. Burnett, who volunteered during the party, noted that the entire process was seamless and brought out a natural spirit of generosity among the students. Her own son even chose to give away one of his earned reward toys to a classmate who did not have one.
“My child saw the fruits of his effort at the stuffing party,” Burnett said. "The whole environment was upbeat and exciting!”
Those efforts have gone a long way, according to Gates. Students raised more than $16,000, and an anonymous donor pitched in $10,000, she said.
Bringing Cheer to Patients at Primary Children's Hospital
The final phase of the project fulfilled the school's goal of delivering beautiful plush foxes to children navigating stressful hospital stays.
“I learned that it feels good to help bring cheer to sick kids,” said Genesi, who raised enough money to be able to donate a buddy to Primary Children's and to get two of her own. “I know some kids have to be in the hospital and sometimes they just need some extra cheer in their life,” she said.
“Fox Hollow students displayed incredible compassion and generosity through this fundraiser, said Gates. “Donating these stuffed foxes to children at the hospital is a meaningful way to share comfort, hope, and kindness with kids who need it most. I’m so proud of our students for showing that small acts of generosity can make a big difference in a child’s day.”