By Andy Fernandez
The students from the Magnolia School District truly believe in helping others. For the students at Lord Baden-Powell School, this meant helping a student in a wheelchair have access to the Outdoor Science School. It all started two years ago when the students visited San Gorgonio Outdoor Science School. During the visit, one of their classmates was in a wheelchair and it was challenging for the student to get around and access the trails that other students were able to hike on because the wheelchair was not designed for such rough terrain. When the students returned from camp, someone suggested raising money to buy an all-terrain wheelchair so that this student could have better access to the camp experience.
The Magnolia School District has a districtwide theme of practicing “Unlimited Acts of Kindness.” The students at Lord Baden-Powell took this initiative a step further by focusing on a quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer: “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”
“Choose Kind” became the new school mantra. Students began selling “Kindness Grams” and “Choose Kind” shirts to raise money for the new wheelchair. The students sold almost 250 shirts in the first month alone. The students raised close to $2,000.
By the end of the campaign, the students had raised enough money to purchase the all-terrain wheelchair. During this year’s outdoor science school trip, the students decided to donate the all-terrain wheelchair so that not only the student from Lord Baden-Powell School could use it, but any student from any school attending camp would have access to it. Thanks to these kind and considerate students, all students will now be able to enjoy the outdoor science school for years to come.
