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Symbolic image Donation of Christmas presents to a school: Many pupils are able to receive their only gift through the campaign
Photo: Tanya B. fabian / For the Coloradoan / USA TODAY Network / IMAGO
People around the world have donated money and gifts to a school in Las Vegas after a teacher at the school asked for support in a viral TikTok clip. Thanks to the donations, the Christmas wishes of more than 900 students can be fulfilled. High school teacher Cheri Guy was "overwhelmed" in a report on "Good Morning America": "We exceeded everything we could have dreamed of."
Desert Pines High School is a Category I school where nearly 3,000 students are eligible for free or reduced lunch due to their families' low incomes.
Nearly a decade ago, an assistant principal created a "Wishmas" program, in which students write down their wish for a Christmas gift and the reason why they want it. The school's teachers and staff then use their own money to fulfill as many of the students' wishes as possible.
At the beginning of November, teacher Cheri Guy had shared a video of herself on TikTok, in which she reacted very touched to the wishes of the students. Through tears, she read out some of the sometimes very modest wishes before saying, "Maybe I can get some help from TikTok?" She captioned her clip, "Even if you can't help, you can share the post." With obvious success, the video went viral.
Christmas wishes included a bag of peanut M&Ms, potato chips to fight hunger, and a pair of black slippers to protect a student's feet from the cold. Another child simply wrote, "The only wish I have is that all wishes come true."
For many of the poverty-stricken students, the gift from the "Wishmas" program may be their only Christmas present, say Guy and Isaac Stein, the school's principal.
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