At Elmwood Elementary School, while other kids are out during recess, one group of fourth graders decided they wanted to spend their time differently, by giving back. So with the help of their teachers, they started the MAD Club.
“A group of them came up to me at the very beginning of the year and they had this hand written, page letter about this club that they wanted to start and it was called the MAD Club,” said fourth grade teacher Shelby Getzin. “They needed a space, they needed a teacher to help them, and if they could just come in at recess so I said, ‘sure’. And I initially loved it because of the name.”
Making a Difference
And what does the “MAD” in MAD Club stand for?
“It stands for make a difference,” said club members.
The club set out to do just that. Starting their mission by making a difference in the classroom.
“There’s five fourth grade teachers at Elmwood Elementary School and they wrote each teacher a letter, outlining that they had written these little notes for each student in their class, as encouragement notes for testing,” said Getzin. “The notes were super simple and said things like ‘keep going,’ ‘you’re awesome,’ ‘we believe in you,’ and they encouraged each of us to pass those notes out to each of our students while they were testing.”
But that’s not all, once the MAD Club got that, they decided to brave the winter weather for a good cause.
Taking Action
“We decided to set up a hot cocoa stand by one of our members’ houses, said one club member.
“My friends that live across the street, they have a ton of Christmas lights and are on one of the lists to come and see. And I live right across the street from them so they thought a lot of people would want to drive by and come by it,” added another member.
The MAD Club members took shifts selling cocoa to anyone coming by and the money they raised was indeed a sweet treat.
“We raised about $280,” said one club member.
And they decided to donate that money to the Ronald McDonald House.
“Yeah it feels really good because we know that we’re doing something really nice for not just us, but other people,” they said.
Proving that you’re never too young to make a difference. The members of MAD Club are even motivated to continue giving back once school is out and want to keep meeting over summer break.
Naperville News 17’s Ryan Skryd reports.
