The Learning Experience preschool in Gilbert raises $7,265 for Make-A-Wish

The Learning Experience in Gilbert, Arizona, raised $7,265 during its April “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign for Make-A-Wish. The effort tied fundraising to hands-on classroom lessons on kindness and empathy while adding to a national total of more than $11.5 million raised since 2018.

Why it matters: - The Gilbert preschool’s campaign turned early childhood education into a community giving effort that supported children with critical illnesses. - The fundraiser also reinforced The Learning Experience’s broader philanthropy curriculum, which teaches kindness, inclusion, generosity and service through real-world participation. - Since 2018, The Learning Experience centers nationwide have raised more than $11.5 million for Make-A-Wish.

What happened: - The Learning Experience in Gilbert, Morrison Ranch, raised $7,265 during its month-long “Let’s Grant Wishes” campaign in April. - Preschoolers, families and staff supported Make-A-Wish through donations, events and classroom activities. - The campaign helped fund wishes for children living with critical illnesses. - Center leaders Diane Coleman, Tera Burke, Tali Stewart, Amy Moffit, Debra Ward, Hillary Olance and Shawna Barrett guided the effort alongside philanthropic mascots “Grace the Greyhound” and “Charity Chihuahua.”

The details: - Children wrote encouraging letters to wish children as part of the campaign. - Preschoolers also took part in fundraising events and classroom lessons centered on compassion and helping others. - The Learning Experience said the program is meant to extend learning beyond the classroom by showing children how acts of kindness and generosity can affect others. - The company’s proprietary philanthropy curriculum introduces children to age-appropriate lessons on community service through hands-on experiences. - The Learning Experience said the effort reflects its mission to make a positive difference in the lives of children, families and the communities it serves.

Between the lines: - The campaign blends fundraising with brand-building by connecting the preschool experience to values-based learning. - The structure suggests the company sees philanthropy as part of its educational offering, not just an add-on activity. - The national Make-A-Wish total gives the local Gilbert effort a wider context and shows the campaign has become a recurring system across the company. - Brad Wahl, chief operating officer of The Learning Experience, said the company aims to provide high-quality childcare and early education that goes beyond academic basics and help inspire the next generation of philanthropists.

What's next: - The Learning Experience is likely to continue the annual campaign as part of its philanthropy curriculum. - The company will keep using classroom-based service projects to connect early education with community impact. - The Gilbert center may build on this year’s fundraising and awareness efforts in future campaigns.

The bottom line: - A local preschool fundraiser raised a modest sum, but the bigger story is how The Learning Experience is using philanthropy to teach empathy, service and community involvement at an early age.