Six-year-old Poppy has her wish granted by Pueblo County High School during 'Wish Week'
Six-year-old Poppy Pino was elated Wednesday to see the walls of Pueblo County High School decorated with drawings and posters of some of her favorite things — Disney's "Moana," her Irish terrier Rory, goldfish crackers and the San Francisco 49ers.
The decorations drawn by County students were among the many features of the school's "Wish Week" fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Colorado. The week culminated on March 20 with an assembly announcing that County students, staff and community members had raised $22,368 to grant wishes for children like Poppy.
Diagnosed with infantile spasms, Poppy has endured epileptic seizures since she was four months old. Funds raised during this year's Wish Week will send her and her family to the Disney Aulani Resort in Kapolei, Hawaii — a resort with enchanting scenery and Moana-themed activities.
Students in the school's DECA program prepared for Wish Week several months in advance. In addition to decorating the school's hallways, students made connections with other clubs, feeder schools and local businesses to create a plethora of fundraising opportunities for the community.
On March 14, the first day of Wish Week, DECA students walked through the decorated halls of their school with Poppy and her family. Students also sat down with the Pino family to eat Chick-fil-A breakfast — another one of Poppy's favorite things.
"Seeing her face light up gave me the most inspiration out of everything... seeing her face light up whenever she saw us really impacted me and made me want to work harder," said Jackson Leyh, DECA vice president at Pueblo County High School.
Connections that students made with Pleasant View Middle School helped bring in $1,000 for Make-A-Wish. Another $200 came from the students at Vineland Elementary. Additional donations came from a March 18 food truck night outside County, a March 18 fundraiser at Texas Roadhouse and a March 19 fundraiser at Culver's.
A series of "Teacher Challenges," which ranged from a game of musical chairs between administrative staff to the duct taping of science teacher Suzan Selle to a gymnasium wall, helped raise $1,031 for Make-A-Wish. Then there was the March 20 "Miracle Minute," during which County students and staff filled buckets with $2,796.83.
"The kids were the ones that set everything up and did everything," Poppy's father, Carlin Pino, told the Chieftain. "It's amazing... Pueblo County just treated us so well."
Wish Week has been celebrated at County since the 2017-18 school year. Since the school's inaugural Wish Week, County has contributed about $124,000 and granted wishes for 15 children.
"It's a big school event," DECA advisor Kari Sandusky told the Chieftain. "We get all the other clubs involved, the band involved, the cheer, the dance — everybody. It's a lot of organizing and involving the community."
More about Poppy: Make-a-Wish Week returns: How you can help make a Pueblo 6-year-old's dream come true
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo County High 'Wish Week' makes six-year-old's dream come true
