Bright Spot: Local preschoolers raising money for Make-A-Wish children

(WFSB) – Little kids across the state have their sights set on something really big. They’re trying to grant wishes for Make-A-Wish children this month. Lynn Ann Zazzali is the owner of The Learning Experience in Stamford, which is not just a childcare facility, but an early education center too. “They start with us as young as six-months-old, all the way up to full-day Kindergarten. Some stay with us beyond for the after-school program,” Zazzali said. There are a number of the facilities sprinkled throughout the state. Something else that’s sprinkled in the curriculum at each center: philanthropy. “We deliberately and intentionally teach children acts of kindness and how to give back to their community,” Zazzali said. It’s with the hope that these lessons will stay with them for the rest of their lives. One of those lessons that play out at the centers every April is Art for Wishes. It’s when the little learners, as young as three, work together to create a series of unique art projects, which will then be raffled off at the end of the month. “And our preschoolers, our teachers, our staff are gathering donations online and all of our donors will actually be entered into an art raffle for a chance to win their children’s artwork on a very special day, which is April 29, World Wish Day,” Zazzali said. The goal at each center is to grant one wish for a Make-A-Wish child. “Our children are learning firsthand what it feels like to do something good and how that ignites that spark within themselves,” Zazzali said. In honor of Make-A-Wish’s 40th anniversary, each student is trying to raise $40. While the kids and families are focused on helping reach this goal, the lessons of hope, kindness, inclusion, and selflessness hold just as much value. “For them to be able to be empathetic towards other children, they’re capable of this at their age, even though their so little, but their hearts are so big,” Zazzali said. Copyright 2019 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.