Telstar Middle School squares were sponsored by parents, community members and students of all ages throughout the district and hung in the hallway to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Telstar raises $5,000 for Make-A-Wish

BETHEL – Students, staff and volunteers at Telstar Middle/High School have been working all year to raise $5,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine.

The amount is the average cost of granting one wish through the organization, and an individual or group that is able to raise $5,000 becomes known as a “Wishmaker.” After working all year on a series of fundraising events, Telstar became a Wishmaker on May 25.

Early in the school year, students in the Telstar Middle School Fine Arts Department decided that they wanted to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation with their second annual “ArtReach” event.

The event, which includes a student art sale, musical performances and a live auction of works donated by local arts professionals, was designed to give students an opportunity to use their talents to make a difference. The first ArtReach, raised $1,800 for the St. Bernard Parish school district in Louisiana to help them recover and rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

This year, after discussing several causes, students decided to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation after learning about their mission to grant wishes to children under the age of 18 who have life-threatening illnesses. The students set a goal to become a Wishmaker by the end of the end of May.

The second annual ArtReach, held in December 2006, began the year’s fundraising efforts. A Telstar parent volunteer committee helped with a calendar raffle, and in April, the student leadership committee organized a talent show and raffle, with several items donated by Bethel area businesses. At the end of April, there was still $1,800 to be raised.

May turned out to be the most successful month of fundraising all year. Telstar High School held a fine arts show in a format similar to the ArtReach.

In addition, TMS art students began the “Make-A-Square, Make-A-Wish” community art project. Students tie-dyed several pieces of fabric, which were cut into 900 small squares.

Each square could be “sponsored” for a $2 donation. Donors personalized their squares with a permanent marker, then each one was pinned onto a long rope that stretched across the ceiling of the school’s hallway.

Squares were sponsored by parents, community members and students of all ages throughout the district. As more and more money was raised, the brightly colored squares filled the hallway from one end to the other with images and messages of hope and support. On May 25, Telstar finally reached the $5,000 goal, and of the all 900 squares were complete.

For the conclusion of the project, students worked with local volunteers to sew the squares together into a large quilt that will be given to the child whose wish was granted by this year of fundraising.

The completed quilt will be presented to a Make-A-Wish representative during an assembly on the last day of school on Thursday, June 14. The assembly, which will be held in the Telstar auditorium at 10:30 a.m., is open to all students and community members.

It will be a celebration of the entire Wishmaking experience, with the unveiling of the community quilt as the grand finale.