A photo graphic that illustrates all the hard work Leadership students have put into organizing events for Samuel’s wish. graphic by Ellie Huntsman
Students of TJ’s Leadership class have been working hard to help grant the wish of a young boy.
For the past two years, Thomas Jefferson High School’s Leadership class has worked with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help make young kids’ dreams come true. This year the Leadership class is working hard to help grant young Samuel’s wish of going on a shopping spree.
Samuel is a twelve year-old boy who was diagnosed with a critical blood disorder. His favorite colors are blue and black and his favorite sports to play are football and soccer. To top it all off, his favorite movie is Despicable Me 4. Samuel is an upbeat kid with a vibrant personality and a smile that can make anyone’s day better. “He has a lot of energy and loves to make jokes. Overall, he is a funny kid,” stated junior Ellie Huntsman. She met him at Dutch Bros during a fundraiser to help raise money for Samuel’s wish.
To make Samuel’s dream come true, Leadership must reach a goal of $10,000. To help reach this goal, Leadership has scheduled many restaurant fundraisers. So far, they have raised almost $3,000 from the fundraisers at Dutch Bros and Canes and they will continue to host fundraisers in the upcoming weeks at Bad Daddy’s Burgers, Chipotle, and many more places. Leadership will also be selling treats after school and tickets to a school dance but most importantly, they need Spartans to show up to events and support the cause. “It will help give back to the community and help those in need,” stated Huntsman.
During the week of March 3rd, the Leadership class will be organizing Spirit Days for wish week. On Monday, the theme is Mardi Gras Color. For this spirit day, freshmen will wear the color gold, sophomores will wear purple, juniors will wear green, and seniors will wear black. Tuesday is superhero day, so students can dress up as their favorite superhero. Wednesday is sport/jersey day. Thursday is throwback Thursday, which means that students will recreate a photo of themselves from when they were younger. Last but not least, Friday’s theme is to wear Wish Week shirts. Members of leadership will be handing out these shirts for students to wear in support of Samuel. A pep rally will also be hosted on Friday in Samuel’s honor, during which TJ Spartans will have a chance to meet him and show how excited they are to help make his wish come true. On Saturday, March 8th, the Leadership class will host a Mardi Gras themed dance from 8:00-11:00 p.m. at TJ. During the dance, students will be able to vote for one boy and girl from each grade who will be crowned as royalty for the dance.
With the amount of hard work and dedication that Leadership has demonstrated, TJ will definitely reach their goal to help make Samuel’s wish come true. With Spartan support , the TJ community can help make Samuel and his family feel special during a hard time. For those who wish to help but don’t know how, the donation link can be found here and in the bio of TJ Leadership’s instagram @tjhs.leadership.
