An early lesson in philanthrophy

As part of an ongoing philanthropy project, South Side High School senior Chris Boss, a Covert Elementary School alumnus, invited all students at his former school to participate in a tournament-style dodgeball event on Feb. 4 in the Covert gym. For 1st 2nd and 3rd graders, the games started at 4 p.m., and for 4th and 5th graders the games began at at 5:45 p.m. Admission was $3 and snacks and refreshments were sold. School Principal Darren Raymar and Chris placed the children on teams, and each team competed in at least four to five games.

The fundraiser was the culmination of a project to educate students about the satisfaction of giving. Chris had been meeting with 4th and 5th grade students during their STELLAR enrichment classes to teach them about philanthropy and charitable organizations. To show the children the connection between donations to charity and benefits to its recipients, he introduced Wish Upon a Hero, an organization whose members post both large and small wishes, while other members, called ‘heroes,’ grant the wishes via donations. After the fundraiser, he plans to meet again with each 4th and 5th grade class, who will be heroes, to help them decide which wishes to grant.

Through this project, Chris says he hopes that students will learn about charity and its benefits on a personal level. The amount of money each class can donate depends on the amount raised during the dodgeball night through ticket sales, snacks and refreshments and individual donations.