Students at East Middle School in Great Falls have transformed a meaningless internet trend into meaningful charitable action, raising over $1,000 and donating 67% of their fundraising proceeds to Make-A-Wish.
The creative campaign began after the school's Student Council attended the Montana Association of Student Councils conference, where they were inspired by a Make-A-Wish presentation to give back to their community.
Shiksha Mahtani reports - watch the video here:
"When they met representatives from Make-A-Wish, they really connected to the idea of giving back, and they thought, we want to do more outside of school," said Reannon Medrano, associate principal at East Middle School.
The students decided to incorporate the popular "six-seven" social media trend, which has no real meaning but has become a widespread meme, into their fundraising efforts by donating exactly 67% of their proceeds to Make-A-Wish.
"It's kind of been an ongoing joke around our school, and it's also been a very popular meme. And so we decided it would be kind of fun to donate 67 of all funds raised for Make-A-Wish," said Vivian Toon, co-president of the East Middle School Student Council.
The students organized two themed fundraisers to support their cause. The first took place on the 67th day of school, where students could wear pajamas in exchange for donations. The second involved selling hot chocolate, with 67% of those proceeds also going to Make-A-Wish.
"We came up with the idea to have a fundraiser on the 67th day of school, and kids got to wear their pajamas. And then we donated 67% of that money toward Make-A-Wish. And then… they worked to sell hot chocolate… and they said, we want to give 67% of that money to Make-A-Wish," said Leesa Halcro, Student Council advisor.
The campaign raised more than $1,000, resulting in a donation of more than $600 to the Make-A-Wish foundation.
Kaylee Laclair, a Make-A-Wish representative, visited the school to accept the donation and praised the students' efforts.
"Make-A-Wish serves children, from two and a half to 18, (who are) fighting critical illnesses. And so having students in similar age groups, maybe in their same class, really inspires an entire community," Laclair said.
The student leaders expressed pride in their accomplishment and hope to make the charitable campaign an annual tradition.
"I feel like we've improved a lot of people's lives," said Carter Marshall, vice president of the East Middle School Student Council.
Quinn Elledge-Smith, impacts team representative, called it "a really nice way to help people that don't really get much help."
Faculty and staff at East Middle School praised the students for their leadership and community-minded thinking.
"I just cannot say how proud I am. It's easy at a formative age to be absorbed because changes are going on and you're learning and you're growing and figuring out who you are, and to figure out ways to go back and give back to others," Medrano said.
The campaign demonstrates how young people can transform popular culture into positive community action, turning a viral internet trend into real-world charitable impact.
This article has been lightly edited with the assistance of AI for clarity, syntax, and grammar.
