Mount Nittany Middle School Students Help Make Dying Girl’s Wish Come True

The line at the Boalsburg post office curled from the counter to the door, but Ashley Wolynec waited patiently while clutching a brown box.

Inside the box were hundreds of Christmas cards for a young girl that Wolynec has never met — and, in all likelihood, never will meet.

Thousands of mile separate Wolynec from six-year-old Fountain Green, Utah resident Addie Fausett, but Wolynec is proving that love and kindness know no distance.

The eighth grader at Mount Nittany Middle School learned about Fausett’s story on the news, and decided to take matters into her own hands. The young Utah resident suffers from brain atrophy and is celebrating what is likely to be her last Christmas. Fausett caused a sensation in the media and across the country when she and her family made a simple Christmas wish: to receive a lifetime’s worth of Christmas cards.

“I was touched when I heard that this is probably her last Christmas,” Wolynec says. “When I heard the story, I thought ‘why wouldn’t I want to help?’”

When the other people in line at the Boalsburg post office heard her story, they happily let Wolynec move to the front of the line. She shyly placed the box on the counter, and Mount Nittany Middle School principal Brian Ishler began filling out the address label.

Ishler says Wolynec approached him and Assistant Prinicpal Mark Feldman about two weeks ago, when she pitched the idea of organizing a school-wide Christmas card drive for Fausett. The two administrators supported Wolynec selfless efforts, emailing the completely voluntary idea out to the school’s faculty and staff.

Within two weeks, Wolynec was able to collect nearly 500 Christmas cards from students across grade levels.

“Honestly, I expected exactly the response we got. It’s typical of our students and faculty to want to do something so great,” Ishler says. “It’s exciting and rewarding knowing that with only a couple weeks, we were able to come up with so many cards to help fulfill this terminally ill girl’s wish.”

Wolynec is more reserved and humble in her thoughts on the matter, deflecting the attention away from herself. She says the real thanks should go to all of her classmates for dedicating the time to make a card, and to Fausett’s parents for their strength in a difficult situation.

She says the project was “a really big hit at the school,” even though she had no idea what kind of response to expect.

“I really enjoy being able to help people,” Wolynec says. “It makes me happy to know that Addie’s Christmas wish is coming true.”

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