When Jack Byrne was a youngster, the elementary school he attended in Boston had a wish-list tree for needy students.
Byrne and his three brothers didn’t pluck a single request off the tree. Instead they took down the entire tree and fulfilled every single wish.
Now Byrne’s gesture of goodwill has been passed down to his students, who attend Summit High School in Frisco. The 17- member wrestling team Byrne coaches recently raised nearly $1,200 and bought toys found on a wish list requested by patients at Children’s Hospital in Aurora.
The students and teacher raised the cash through an incentive program designed by Byrne, who would pay the boys pocket change if they got in extra hours of wrestling practice, won a wrestling match or worked hard on a school project. In addition, each wrestler shadowed a restaurant wait staff person at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Breckenridge.
Annette Espinoza, The Denver Post
