On Monday, students left the Mahomet-Seymour school district with visions of long summer days at the pool or playing with their friends. But for fifth grade student Ben Jaskula, the summer days will be recuperating from surgery on his leg.
Jaskula, who has cerebral palsy, also spent last summer at home or in a wheelchair when he had surgery on one of his legs. He even began this 2014-2015 school year in a wheelchair.
And until Monday, Jaskula thought the days would be spent just watching YouTube videos or idly passing the time. But when several girls in his class were approached by P.E. Teacher Lu Rippy about raising money for him, they created an opportunity for him that he never expected.
“I asked them to think about what it would be like if they had to have surgery and be in a wheelchair all summer or be confined to their home,” Rippy said. “I told them it’d be really nice if they all donated a few dollars to buy him a couple paperback books.”
Rippy approached the girls on a Friday, and that night, two separate groups of girls set up a lemonade stand in their neighborhood. By Monday morning, they handed their teacher over $100 to buy a gift.
The girls also made small tickets with “A Buck for Ben” on it, and with donations from other classmates, they quickly raised $161.
“That’s just the kind of leaders those girls are going to be in junior high,” Rippy said. “If someone gives them a task, they’re going to accomplish it.”
The girls said they are often very impressed with how smart Ben is because he “has a great vocabulary.” They also said he is very calm when crazy things are going on.
They also agreed, “Ben’s really kind to people. Some boys are just like “Ewww, get away from me. But Ben is not like that.”
The girls suggested that the class get Jaskula a Kindle Fire so that he could not only have books, but also download apps throughout the summer. Before school ended on Monday, the class presented him with his gift loaded with all the essentials he needed, including 8 books and several apps, to get started.
Rippy said the kids have been great with Jaskula all year long. Jaskula has been in a wheelchair during the spring months, too, and because the chair could not go onto the grass as the kids played softball, each student took turns playing catch with Ben on the cement during P.E. class.
“No one ever had any problem with it,” Rippy said. “They come out of the game for that time, and then come back in. It makes him really happy because he gets special 1-on-1 time with people. Their class is so nice and they get along so well.”
