Learning Experience preschool raises $12,613 for Make-A-Wish

Preschoolers, families and staff at The Learning Experience in Overland Park raised $12,613 during an April fundraiser for Make-A-Wish. The campaign blended early education with philanthropy, teaching children about kindness, empathy and community service while supporting wishes for children with critical illnesses.

Why it matters: - The campaign turned a preschool fundraiser into a hands-on lesson in generosity, helping children learn empathy and community service through real-world giving. - The $12,613 raised will support Make-A-Wish in granting wishes for children living with critical illnesses. - The effort also shows how early childhood education programs can build social and emotional learning outside the classroom.

What happened: - Preschoolers at The Learning Experience in Overland Park participated in the center’s annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign during April. - Preschoolers, families and staff raised $12,613 for Make-A-Wish. - The fundraiser took place at The Learning Experience preschool in Blue Valley, serving the Overland Park community.

The details: - Children wrote encouraging letters to wish children. - Children joined fundraising events and classroom activities focused on compassion and helping others. - Center leaders Brittaney Johnson, Olga Salas, Amber Limkemann, Scott Limkemann and Isabella Serpe guided the campaign. - The preschool’s philanthropic mascots, “Grace the Greyhound” and “Charity Chihuahua,” were part of the activities. - The campaign is part of The Learning Experience’s proprietary philanthropy curriculum. - The curriculum introduces kindness, inclusion, generosity and community service through age-appropriate experiences. - The Learning Experience says the campaign reflects its mission to make a positive difference in the lives of children, families and the communities it serves.

Between the lines: - The fundraiser gave The Learning Experience a way to connect early education with community service in a format young children can understand. - The campaign also reinforces Make-A-Wish fundraising as a national culture-building effort inside the company’s centers. - Since 2018, children, families and staff across The Learning Experience centers have raised more than $11.5 million for Make-A-Wish.

What's next: - The Learning Experience is expected to continue the annual “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign as part of its philanthropy curriculum. - The company’s wider center network may keep expanding the fundraising model, given its nationwide participation since 2018.

The bottom line: - A local preschool fundraiser delivered money for Make-A-Wish and a classroom lesson in giving back at the same time.