Class raffles 'Bobo' to boost children's hospital

Posted

Third-grade students at the Winsor Hill Elementary School in Johnston raised $260 for the Cardiac Unit at Boston Children Hospital on April 4 by raffling off a stuffed chimpanzee named Bobo.

All week long, the students hung posters promoting the raffle, gave out fliers, made daily announcements and sold tickets at school lunches. On Friday, fifth-grader Ashley Mendoza won Bobo, but she had gone home sick earlier in the day.

She returned on Wednesday to discover she was the lucky winner, and said she was “surprised and happy.”

The fundraiser was the idea of their teacher, Mrs. Lee Silverman. Twelve years ago, her niece was born with a heart condition. That night the girl was transported to Boston Children’s Hospital, and at just two days old, doctors performed open-heart surgery. The surgery was successful, and just a few days ago the girl celebrated her 12th birthday.

Silverman said she doesn’t do this particular project every year, but she likes to find “good deeds’ for the children to do, especially since Winsor Hill is an Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation “Good Deeds School.” This year she let the students vote on what they wanted to do, and they chose this project.

As for the third-graders’ feelings, Amelia Sullivan thought it was important “because it helps the doctors find cures for sicknesses.” Koda Smith liked the fundraiser because “it helps the kids with bad hearts.”

And Jaylen Molina said, “I think it helps families with babies that need heart surgery…Everybody should have a life and get to live theirs.”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here