WHATELY — Third graders at Whately Elementary School have been putting their art-making skills to use for a good cause.
After a typical day of math, science, reading and writing lessons on Friday, 16 students painted their own wrapping paper to sell to friends and family as part of a new effort to raise money for the Warm the Children charity.
Warm the Children is a group of 27 nonprofits across the country that seek donations from their local community to provide winter clothing and footwear for local children in need. Warm the Children programs typically ask for a local newspaper and service organization to sponsor the effort. In Greenfield, the Recorder is that newspaper, and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and Community Action Pioneer Valley are the affiliated service organizations.
The Recorder partners with local retailers to provide gift cards to beneficiaries of Warm the Children with the money that is raised. The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts oversees the account containing donations, and Community Action is responsible for the distribution of gift cards to families. They can be used in the store or online to buy clothing for each qualifying child, 12 years old or younger.
“It helps the kids in need,” third grader Vivian Ciesluk said before rushing off to craft more wrapping paper.
“I like to donate to kids,” third grader Cadence Fitzgerald said. “It’s my favorite thing to do, so I can help them.”
To create the colorful paper, students dropped splatters of bright green, blue, orange, pink, purple and gold paint onto sheets of paper in a plastic bin. Next, they tilted the bins, rolling marbles along the paint to create designs and patterns.
Whately Elementary School third grader Morgan Ament rolls marbles to create her own wrapping paper. Credit: AALIANNA MARIETTA / Staff Photo 
Whately Elementary School third graders Elliott Viadero, Morgan Ament, Vexlee Costa and Vivian Ciesluk celebrate Pajama Day while also crafting wrapping paper. Credit: AALIANNA MARIETTA / Staff Photo 
Whately Elementary School third grader Cadence Fitzgerald watches her classmate Vivian Ciesluk create wrapping paper. Credit: AALIANNA MARIETTA / Staff Photo
“Everybody’s looks different,” Vivian said as she squeezed a rainbow of paint onto her paper. “You can just let your imagination shine.”
A couple weeks ago, the students decorated order forms with doodles of mittens and hats that they will then be filling with donations until Dec. 19, at which point the students will take the wrapping paper home to deliver to their buyers. According to their teacher, Amy Tibbetts, the artists have created about 40 sheets of wrapping paper in the past few weeks and will keep the marbles rolling to fulfill orders as they come in.
“We really appreciate the efforts of the third grade class,” said Recorder Business Manager Patti Wasilewski, who coordinates the donation drive. “Fundraisers like this are vital in Warm the Children’s success.”
Inspired by her late grandmother’s generous heart, Tibbetts said she “wanted to encourage something during this time where we can hopefully focus more on giving than receiving.”
After reading about Warm the Children in the Recorder, Tibbetts asked the class if they wanted to combine their ongoing art project with community service. The students had recently finished a food drive, so the concept of giving back was fresh in their minds, Tibbetts noted.
“There was already an understanding that there are people in our community who, through no fault of their own, need help,” Tibbetts said. “This was just the next little step.”
When Tibbetts pitched the idea, the kids’ responded with unanimous excitement, she said.
“We just thought it was a good idea,” third grader Vexlee Costa said.
“Their response is what made me say, ‘Yes,'” Tibbetts continued. “It’s an incredibly compassionate, kind, empathetic group of kids with tons of ideas.”
From there, the students brainstormed challenges that children might face without access to warm clothes in the winter, like not being able to play in the snow and join a snowball fight. Tibbetts said the importance of Warm the Children was an easy lesson for her students to understand.
“Social justice and equity is personally really important to me, and innately, it is important to kids. They care about things being fair,” Tibbetts said. “When they realize there is that kind of an injustice, they want to fix it. It’s very easy to inspire them, because that’s who they are.”
Tibbetts plans to make the fundraiser a holiday tradition and she hopes the compassion in her classroom will inspire others.
“These are things that [the children] will always remember and stay a part of them,” Tibbetts said. “The kindness will spread.”