LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The school year is winding down, and it has come to a close for some students. At Lexington Christian Academy, on their last day of school, the 5th graders celebrated an even more special moment. They presented a check to the University of Kentucky Children's Hospital. Their donation was the result of lessons learned and hard work paying off.
"It was really just the whole 5th grade working together," says LCA 5th grader Jillian Weaver.
Together, they presented a check for $1,650 to UK's Kentucky Children's Hospital. Dr. Lindsay Ragsdale, a pediatrician at the hospital, joined the students, teachers, and principal in the school gym Thursday for the check presentation.
"I am just so thankful. I cannot say enough. Thank you so, so much," Dr. Ragsdale said to the class.
The class raised the money by earning it themselves.
"I think what this represents is the character and the amount of giving that this class is willing to do," Dr. Ragsdale says.
The lessons and the hard work started in the classroom. The fifth grade had an entrepreneur fair, where they worked in groups to come up with business ideas.
"Well, we came up with pop-a-shot. We brought that here," says Weaver.
"It was a little bit hard at first, but once we got it going, it was pretty good," says Kennedy Moughamian, who worked in a group with Weaver.
The ideas ranged from their pop-a-shot business to the selling of a long-time staple accessory for backpacks.
"At first we didn't really know what to do, and then I saw on her backpack some keychains, and I was like, 'What if we do key chains?'" says 5th grader Anna Banks.
The students learned a lot about building a business along the way, like how to market their products.
"And to sell that, we made posters, like a lot of other people did, and put them around the school," says Rachel Baumgardner, who worked on the key chain business. "I learned that businesses take a lot to make, and it's hard to manage them, but it's also very fun."
The lessons learned in the classroom will stick with these kids.
"So we had a test, and we had to learn the economic definitions," says 5th grader Zion Gatewood.
But even more impactful, are the lessons learned when they got the chance to give back to their community.
"The fact that they were willing to sell things, makes things, and then give back to Kentucky Children's Hospital--it's amazing," says Dr. Ragsdale, "That's what medicine is really all about; how do we take care of others?"
"It made us feel really good," Gatewood says.
