All nine-year-old Zachary wanted was to go to Australia and hold a koala. With the help of Carlsbad High School’s Wish for Kids Club, Zachary’s dream became a reality.
Here at CHS the Wish for Kids Club works to help the Wish for Kids Foundation grant wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. At just nine years old Zachary lives his life with a Wilms tumor, a type of cancer in the kidneys. Zachary was chosen by the Wish For Kids foundation and for the past two years CHS wish for kids club has been raising money in support of his dream.
“We raise about $2000 a year at street fair, and once we are around $4000 we donate to the foundation,” club president Yasaman Samsamshariat said.
Zachary has had to fight his tumor and deal with unfortunate circumstances no nine year old should have to deal with. Knowing there was a group of kids working to help make his dream come true gave Zachary something to look forward to, and last year, after working hard for two years to make Zachary’s wish come true, Wish for Kids Club was able to send Zachary to Australia and fulfill his wish.
“Before he went to Australia he came to our club and had a pizza party where we got to meet him and his family,” Samsamshariat said. “It was such a good feeling to know how happy we were able to make him.”
Since then Wish for Kids club has continued to meet in Mrs. Parr’s classroom, room 3101, every wednesday planning and fundraising for the next child whose wish they are fortunate enough to grant. They are currently fundraising and anxiously awaiting the next child they will help.
“I’m currently in contact with Make a Wish San Diego to stay involved with any of their upcoming activities, and when we are ready to grant a wish I will organize the party for the wish kid,” Samsamshariat said.
Anyone is welcome to join this club at any time. The club gives CHS students the opportunity to help someone else and make a extraordinary difference in a child’s life.
“We all feel really good about ourselves and are extremely excited to help the dreams of these children come true,” Samsamshariat said.
