Highland Park High School

On November 3, 2023, Highland Park High School DECA held its second annual Make-A-Wish Carnival!  This year, Tom Carman, Megan Chiu, and Andreea Dumitru took charge of organizing the carnival for their Community Giving project. The Community Giving project for DECA requires students to hold an event to benefit a charity that is meaningful to the community.  The Make-A-Wish Foundation was the perfect choice as there are a few children in the Highland Park Community who have benefitted from Make-A-Wish services.  The carnival is usually limited to the high school to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, however, this year, the project managers decided to extend the invite to the community in hopes of increasing the donation amounts.  Additionally, to ensure HPHS DECA could donate as much money as possible, Tom Carman hand-made all the games, and candy was donated to reduce expenses.  Overall, the carnival was a huge success with over 200 participants and $3,000 raised.  Though this is a great amount, Tom, Megan, and Andreea are determined to continue raising money for this wonderful cause through Macy's "Believe" campaign.  Macy's will donate $1 for every holiday wish written on their official cards that are placed in a Macy's "Believe" mailbox.  On the high school's traditional "Service" day, the project managers will host workshops explaining the benefits of Make-A-Wish and encouraging students to write their holiday wishes.  If you have a holiday wish you would like to share, please email Ms. Chirco, the DECA advisor, at kchirco@hpschools.net. We appreciate your support!!!