MARINETTE (NBC26) - One simple act of kindness turned into a community affair.
"One day I thought I should help my school have a very merry Christmas."
Friday, Lily Kornusky, a 4th grader at Garfield Elementary School, made Christmas wishes come true.
"I just felt like I needed to do something,” she said. “I sometimes see people really sad on the playground and I just wanted to help them and make them feel happy."
She surprised her entire school with a pizza party (175 kids plus staff); gifts for every single teacher; and a visit from jolly old Saint Nick. This act of kindness was something that didn’t surprise her mom.
"Children have big hearts,” Debbie Kornusky said, Lily’s mom. “They think of others more than themselves. What Lily wanted to do is bring kindness to everyone."
A fund in Lily's name, created by friends of the family Lynn and Jim Mackie, was made to help her Christmas wish come true. In total, $2,000 was donated to the school. The money was used to help with Friday’s surprise, and stock up the school's clothing closet.
"Our supplies were running low and some parents and Debbie got wind of that; she was able to get some donations for us,” said Kam Dama, the school’s building coordinator.
"There's nothing I would want more,” Debbie added. “I've been getting hugs from all the kids, to see their happiness is our Christmas present."
And for Lily, ‘giving’ was the perfect Christmas gift.
"I want them to know being kind is meaning you don't have to get something in return. You just have to give and make somebody smile,” Lily said.
Lily wanted to make sure every teacher and helper, including the janitor, got a gift. All which came from local stores. Debbie said they bought 29 presents overall.
Lily’s act inspired the businesses to donate or give discounts to Friday’s surprise. Domino’s donated 10 pizzas. The local stores they shopped at include Simply Charming Boutique; The Goose & Gander Finery; 1896 Homestead Shoppe, LLC; Trends & Traditions; Northern Roots Floral; and Perfectly Posh.
