Pewaukee students make sure kids in Haiti have Christmas presents

PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Students from Pewaukee are making sure kids in Haiti have the joy of opening a present on Christmas. 

What started out as one seventh-graders idea turned into a huge donation fund. Now thanks to the students at The Christian Education Leadership Academy, 250 kids in Haiti will open a Christmas present on Christmas Day. 

"We got a bunch of toys and we sent them out to Haiti for these kids to get for Christmas," said Chance Wake, 7th grader who brought the idea to the school.

Chance Wake brought the idea to his school to collect school supplies and toys for kids in Haiti to open on Christmas. The donations starting pouring in.

"Markers, crayons, coloring books, notebooks, jump ropes, footballs, soccer balls, kick balls, and stuff like that," said Wake.

The project is called "Compassion for Haiti." A value students study in class.

"We were studying the value of compassion and with his idea and collecting both school supplies and games and toys for children in Haiti it seemed like a perfect fit with our value of compassion," said Nicole Daniels, Director of Christian Values and Leadership Development, CELA. 

A value Haiti needs after the pandemic and Tropical Storm Laura. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android

"Tropical Storm Laura washed out the road they have to go to school. Kids there that are receiving the gifts, if they are able to go to school, they walk over an hour a day to get to school," said Daniels. 

Chance Wake and his classmates are giving those kids a Christmas to remember.

"hope and happiness can be spread through this," said Wake. 

Showing that no idea is too small to make a big impact. 

"I feel like anyone can make a difference," said Wake. "I hope that they feel that they’re not alone and that people are there for them."

The students collected enough items to fill 11 boxes that are on their way to Haiti just in time for Christmas.