by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Jackson Stewart, a Sartell fourth-grader, will soon have his wish come true, and the Sartell High School Council is determined to make that wish come true as soon as possible.
That is why the council members are putting on “Sartell Funfest” from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 18 in the Sartell High School Commons.
The event is a fundraiser for Jackson, whose wish through the Make-a-Wish Foundation is to get a golf cart so he will be able to drive around in his neighborhood to visit friends. Jackson was diagnosed six years ago with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, which makes it very difficult for him to walk for any length of time.
The Funfest event at the high school will include carnival games, concessions and a silent auction – all planned out by members of the high school council, who began raising funds last fall when they heard about Jackson and his wish.
“I feel it’s going to be a great community-based event for Jackson and his wish,” said Thomas Connolly, a sophomore and member of the school council and one of the organizers of Funfest. “We want everyone to know the money is going to a good cause – Jackson.”
Since last fall, the students have already raised $8,000. Their goal for the Funfest is to raise anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000 more – enough to make Jackson’s wish come true.
Others are working to get silent-auction baskets and stuff like that.
Jackson, an Oak Ridge Elementary School student, is a huge fan of cats, and that is why he wants a “kitty-kat” golf cart, one that is painted with a cat design. His parents, Josh and Kat, are both teachers in the Sartell-St. Stephen School District; he is a special-education teacher at Sartell High School, she is a science teacher at Sartell Middle School. Jackson has a brother, Rowan, and a sister, Josslyn.
DuChenne muscular dystrophy is a disease that causes muscular degeneration, and life expectancy is generally from 20 to 25 years. So far, there is no cure, though experimental treatments are being tried and research continues.
“All we can be is hopeful,” said his mother, Kat, in a Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader story published Oct. 6. “That’s all we can do is try our best.”
“It’s our ‘normal,’” father Josh added.
The Stewarts had high praise for Jackson’s third-grade teacher, Mrs. Houghton, and for the high-school student council led by Mrs. Fredrickson, who started the Make-a-Wish efforts last fall. The family said it also wants to thank their friends and neighbors for so much support they have received throughout the years.
To donate to Jackson’s Make-a-Wish dream, attend the March 18 Funfest.
Jackson Stewart (center) has long wanted a “kitty-kat” golf cart via the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and members of the Sartell High School Student Council are determined that his wish will soon come true. From left to right are parents Josh and Kat, Jackson, brother Rowan and sister Josslyn.
