Cardiff School students collect almost 200 LEGO sets for Bricks of Hope

Cardiff School District recently announced that the kindergarten through second grade students at Cardiff School collected almost 200 LEGO sets for Bricks of Hope this holiday season, according to a news release. Bricks of Hope delivers LEGO sets to sick children in hospitals during the holidays to improve their spirit, create play and inspire imagination. The LEGO sets collected by Cardiff School students were delivered to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

The idea to begin collecting LEGO sets for Bricks of Hope came from first grade teacher Lesly Easson. She was inspired after seeing a national news story about Adam Petraglia, the founder and executive director of Bricks of Hope. Petraglia was diagnosed with leukemia the day after his 10th birthday which he spent in the hospital – only remembering the joy of receiving several LEGO presents and playing with them throughout his hospital stay. After seeing the story, Easson contacted Petraglia and set up the plan for students to begin collecting the sets. She invited him to fly to San Diego pick up the LEGO sets from Cardiff School and deliver them to Rady Children’s Hospital.

Adam Petraglia, founder and executive director of Bricks of Hope, describes how it feels to be in the hospital during the holidays and why he started distributing LEGO sets to sick children in the hospital.

(Photo by Lesly Easson)

“I’ve been overwhelmed with delight at the number of donations and enthusiasm from our students. The kindness and gratitude shown by our families, students, and staff reaffirms what a great community Cardiff by the Sea is,” said Easson in the news release.

Participating in Bricks of Hope is part of a much larger focus in Cardiff School District. This past year, Cardiff School District committed to further emphasizing the “Cardiff Way” after discovering the four virtues of the Cardiff Way impact many students well beyond their time in Cardiff School District.

Students from Cardiff School with Adam Petraglia, founder and executive director of Bricks of Hope, carry a box filled with LEGO sets to be delivered to Rady Children’s Hospital.

(Photo by Lesly Easson)

“Embodying positive mental health and wellness at an early age improves empathy, resilience, self-esteem and kindness. We’re thrilled to be able to recognize this and incorporate it into our foundation of learning,” concluded Michelle Giroux, principal of Cardiff School in the news release.