This spring, Indian Hills Middle School students brought in pocketfuls of coins, anxious to empty them.

Pennies added into their grade’s total while silver coins—mostly nickels, dimes and quarters—found their way into other grades’ collections, deducting that coin value from their total. The goal: to raise the most amount of money.

“The kids really got into Penny Wars,” said first-year IHMS National Junior Honor Society adviser Lorenza Wilde. “I love seeing students so invested and excited to support this little girl. When we introduced her, it was just an eruption of cheers.”

The little girl is 3-year-old Isla. The Sandy resident loves animated children’s cartoon characters, Bluey and Daniel Tiger. She also has a respiratory disorder, Wilde said.

“Every year, we try to fulfill a wish for a Make-A-Wish child. This year, we were trying to fulfill Isla’s wish. She was still deciding, but she was thinking of going to Disney World,” Wilde said.

Not only were students raiding their piggy banks to give to Penny Wars to support Isla, but they found other ways to give. 

“We had a group of eighth graders who ran a lemonade stand and all the money they received, they donated to Make-A-Wish. Our NJHS seventh graders made a gift basket for Isla with their own money. They put in a tiara, a blanket, Bluey T-shirts, slime, sunglasses—things a 3-year-old would like,” she said.

The winning grade—eighth grade—was invited to the ending assembly where they played Minute to Win It games, got to throw pies at teachers and the school resource officer and see Isla receive her wish.

“Eighth grade pulled it off with $1,732 in cash—and that didn't even include online donations,” Wilde said.

Overall, the students surpassed their $10,000 goal and last year’s $13,000. 

“I was shocked how much we raised. We're raised $14,923.53,” she said. “I love that this connects kids with other kids. We’ve had a few kids here go through Make-A-Wish or have siblings who have, so we appreciate that we’re able to help these kids who live in our community.”

During the campaign, about 30 seventh- and eighth-grade NJHS members coordinated the effort from poster making to organizing the assembly. 

During the school year, the student leaders also led their classmates to donate 10,000 items of food to the Utah Food Bank, make rice warmers for the Humane Society kittens, write letters for Operation Gratitude, organize the school’s talent show and collect the school’s recycling.

“One of my favorite moments was at the ending Make-A-Wish assembly, when they gave the gift basket as well as a crocheted Bluey doll to Isla,” Wilde said. “The doll was made by the daughter of our math teacher, Melissa Hoffman, who had made some for nieces and nephews. This Bluey was as big as she was and it was given to her at the end of the assembly. When she saw Bluey, her eyes went wide and she started jumping up and down. It was heartwarming.”