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.
“We would make it our gift to each other,” Byrne said.
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 that 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 team delivered the goods two weeks ago.
“I wanted to teach my students that no matter how rough a day they’re having others are having it much worse,” Byrne said.
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 who worked hard on a school project.
In addition to the incentive program each member of the wrestling team shadowed a restaurant wait staff person at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in Breckenridge and collected tips for the hospital patients.
The wrestling team got so excited about the fund raising effort, coach Byrne worried they’d neglect his wrestling program, but they didn’t.
“They’re good young men and I’m really proud of them,” Byrne said.
The team plans to start another toy drive when the wrestling season resumes in November.
“It feels great,” Byrne said. “We want to blow this out of the water.”
Annette Espinoza: 303-954-1655 or aespinoza@denverpost.com
