Diane Kelly, Shawnee High School Teacher & Make-A-Wish Advocate!
Ms. Kelly, who has been a Special Education teacher for 17 years at Shawnee High School, also served as the advisor and founder of the school’s “Kids for Wish Kids” club, a group dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Make-A-Wish New Jersey.
Ms. Kelly, along with a few dedicated students, began their work in support of Make-A-Wish in 2012. In its first year, their new club raised about $600. Over the next few years, fundraising and club participation expanded quickly and exponentially, growing from a few dozen students to nearly 200 club members, raising thousands of dollars annually and hosting multiple types of events throughout the academic year. Since its beginnings nearly a decade ago, Shawnee High School, its students and various groups in support of their Kids for Wish Kids club, raised over $80,000 to create life-changing wishes for local New Jersey children battling critical illnesses.
“We started out doing little things around the school,” Ms. Kelly shared as she reflected back on the founding of the club. “We had a bake sale, we had a pretzel sale, we’d make t-shirts and sell them. Then we started a “dine and donate” and even hosted a Zumba class. As we started getting larger and larger, not only did we have one “dine and donate” per month, but we had two or three. Not only did we host a Zumba event, but one of our sports teams that was hosting an event wanted it to benefit Make-A-Wish and sold luminaries. We paired up wherever we could.”
During the 2020-2021 academic year, despite the global pandemic, the Kids for Wish Kids club raised nearly $10,000 through multiple events, including a virtual magic show, a “Walk Under The Stars,” the sale of bracelets in memory of a beloved student, and other various contributions throughout the year. While the significant funds raised are certainly something Ms. Kelly and her students are proud of, what she is most proud of is witnessing the impact the program has on club members as they become more and more connected to the mission and impact of a wish come true for a child battling a critical illness. Graduates as far back as 2014 even shared letters sharing the impact their involvement had on them during one of this year’s events.
“The students have come to understand why a wish is so important,” Ms. Kelly continued. “This isn’t an easy thing that’s happening to these children and their families, and it opened their eyes. Every year, the students would raise more money than they did the year before, and then hearing about the wishes granted afterwards is always heartwarming, and it is so nice to know that the little bit that we do can help a child get their camper, or go visit Disney World, or be something they’ve always wanted to be, there is nothing better. I cannot even describe it.”
As Ms. Kelly said goodbye to her student and faculty family at Shawnee High School this year, she knows she is leaving the Kids for Wish Kids club in good hands. The group will continue forward under the leadership of Phil Langan, Jennifer O'Connell and Erin O'Neill. The Shawnee High School Kids For Wish kids program will live on and continue the legacy started by Ms. Kelly and a few students in 2012 – a legacy that has now impacted thousands of students and granted multiple wishes to local children over the years.
