HOUSTON — At one local preschool, they're learning the importance of helping others and it's having a big impact as a result.
Giving of all kinds is being practiced at The Learning Experience. Center Director Tara Bernard said in addition to the early fundamentals of a good education, students consistently learn about gratitude, kindness and philanthropy.
“We want to make sure that our children understand what it is to give to the community, and also the impact of giving to the community," Bernard said.
Giving back and helping others is a year-round focus at the school. In April, the focus was on helping a kid that was a part of the Make-A-Wish foundation. The young students learned about another child who was asking for a gaming system.
"This is for Samuel because he was sick," one student said.
The kids hosted a lemonade stand and held a bike-a-thon to raise money. They even took part in a pie-in-the-face event in which the students donated money and in exchange, teachers and staff got a pie in the face.
"I took plenty of pies to the face, plenty of pies," Bernard said. "I smelled like sour milk at the end of the day.
But the kids' hard work paid off. With a little help from parents, they brought in more than $23,000, helping Samuel get his gaming system and helping so many others as well.
"These children are our future," Bernard said. "They’re the next generation and knowing how to give intentionally is not natural. We are teaching our children how to impact the world."
It's a message that seems to be coming through loud and clear.
“Can I sing a song for you?” one student asked. “No matter how big, no matter how small, a little love can change it all. With a helping hand, a friend or two, when we work together, there’s nothing we can’t do.”
In addition to their amazing work with Make-A-Wish, the children at the learning center also held a food drive in November and a coat and toy drive in December.