TAMPA, Fla. — Students at Kenneth E. Adum K-8 Magnet School in Tampa are learning some valuable life lessons in empathy, and what it means to come together to make a difference in people’s lives.
It started in third grade with a donation drive for Los Angeles fire victims, and it has now become a schoolwide initiative.
“My table is making cards for the firefighters,” said Angelina Ferchill, a student in Ms. Ryan’s third grade class. On Wednesday, students made special, hand-written cards for LA fire victims and first responders as part of their “Pennies for Pizza” philanthropy project.
“Our students were inclined to help with the fires, and initially we weren’t quite sure how to get involved. After researching some organizations and deciding on the best method, we were able to find Pizza Girl,” said Adrienne Rundle, the school’s IB Coordinator.
“Pizza Girl” owns a pizza shop in Venice, Calif., and she’s made it her mission to help wildfire relief efforts. She is not only donating a portion of her proceeds to fire victims but also personally delivering pizzas to first responders, which resonated with students here. They’ve not only collected money to donate, but they’ll also be sending the cards they make to Pizza Girl.
“We’ve decided to get the cards out there too, so maybe with the pizza delivery, they also get a card, so that it brings a little joy because people know we’re thinking about them, especially after going through what we went through with the hurricanes earlier this year, so just showing a little compassion,” said Melissa Ryan, the students' third-grade teacher.
“It feels so good. It feels like we’re super heroes,” said Angelina.
In third grade, part of the curriculum is learning about natural disasters, environmental factors, adaptation and change, so teachers incorporated “Pennies for Pizza” into their lessons.
Students have collected over $1,300 to donate to Pizza Girl.
