Fish Hawk preschool raises $10,070 for Make-A-Wish

Preschoolers, families and staff at The Learning Experience in Lithia raised $10,070 in April through the annual Let’s Grant Wishes campaign for Make-A-Wish. The effort blends early education with philanthropy, teaching children kindness and community service while supporting wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Why it matters: - The campaign turns early childhood education into a real-world lesson in empathy, generosity and service. - The $10,070 raised in Lithia will help Make-A-Wish grant wishes for children living with critical illnesses. - The fundraiser also shows how family and staff involvement can extend a preschool’s impact beyond the classroom.

What happened: - The Learning Experience preschool in Lithia, Florida, held its annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign in April. - Preschoolers, families and staff members raised $10,070 for Make-A-Wish over the month-long effort. - Children took part in fundraising events, classroom activities and letter-writing for wish children.

The details: - Center leaders Loriann Abate, Kristen Maurer, Dana Dooley and Jhana Pardue guided the campaign. - The preschool’s mascots, “Grace the Greyhound” and “Charity Chihuahua,” helped bring the philanthropy activities to life. - The campaign is part of The Learning Experience’s proprietary philanthropy curriculum. - The curriculum introduces children to kindness, inclusion, generosity and community service through age-appropriate activities. - The initiative aims to show children that small acts of giving can strengthen their communities. - Since 2018, children, families and staff across The Learning Experience centers nationwide have raised more than $11.5 million for Make-A-Wish. - The Learning Experience says the campaign reflects its mission to make a positive difference in the lives of children, families and communities.

Between the lines: - The fundraiser is more than a donation drive; it is also a branding and education tool that ties the preschool experience to social responsibility. - The national fundraising total suggests the campaign has become a long-running part of the company’s culture, not a one-off local event. - The program positions empathy as a teachable skill that can be practiced through simple, repeatable actions.

What's next: - The Learning Experience is expected to continue the annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign at its centers. - The company will likely keep using hands-on philanthropy to reinforce its early learning model. - Make-A-Wish will continue relying on community fundraising to support future wish grants.

The bottom line: - A local preschool fundraiser became both a charitable win and a lesson in how early education can teach children to give back.