By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
PLANO — On March 27, seventh and eighth graders from St. Mark Catholic School put their faith into action in a big way: helping make a wish come true for 7-year-old Chloe Zai, a cancer patient with a love for Ariel, her favorite Disney princess.
As students of all grades lined the hallways to cheer her on, Chloe, dressed as a mermaid, embarked on a magical adventure across campus in a custom-decorated wagon, bravely battling students dressed as villains from her favorite stories to free princesses and collect puzzle pieces. At the end of her journey, Chloe pieced together the puzzle — revealing the surprise of a trip to Disney World for her and her family.
This year’s project marks the fifth time St. Mark students have united to bless a child through a Make-A-Wish Foundation project.
“Service is our way of living the Gospel and evangelizing,” St. Mark principal Pam Steinkirchner said. “It’s how we teach our students to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.”
Each month, the school community embraces a new service project — whether participating in food drives, making blankets for veterans, decorating placemats for nursing homes, or assembling blessing bags for the homeless. The effort culminates in the Make-A-Wish project, led by seventh and eighth graders, which Steinkirchner said reinforces the students’ call to love and serve beyond school events.
“We call it ‘faith in action,’” she explained, “and we pray it becomes second nature for our students.”
A fairy tale experience
This year, through the Make-A-Wish reveal, Chloe’s dream came true as she learned at the conclusion of the student-led project that her family would be making a trip to Disney World.
“She loves Disney. She loves Candy Land. She loves all the fun princess things,” Steinkirchner said, “and so we made it come true for her.”
Trailing behind her daughter as she made her way from classroom to classroom for a new adventure, Chloe’s mother, Lindsey Kai, said she was deeply moved by the event.
“I’m just feeling so much emotion right now. I knew being around other kids and seeing their compassion and just how excited they were for Chloe would just add to her excitement,” she explained. “I’m just overwhelmed with joy.”
The theme of the celebration was chosen to reflect Chloe’s passions, including unicorns, rainbows, princesses, mermaids, and, of course, Ariel.
“She has been dressed up as Ariel for several Halloweens,” Lindsey said, “so, this is just literally her wish come true.”
Steinkirchner said the entire school rallied behind the effort, with students decorating and preparing for the big reveal in just one week. Their dedication and love of service were on full display, turning the event into a celebration of generosity and faith in action.
“The students have to know that they can make somebody’s wonderful dreams come true by their actions, putting their heart to work, and knowing that they’re here to serve as servant leaders,” Steinkirchner said. “It’s not only that they’re doing something nice for someone, but they’re the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Dressed as Mirabelle from the Disney movie, “Encanto,” seventh grader Amara Walker was among the students who played a role in the event.
“We’re making someone’s wish come true,” Walker said, “and I think it’s a really good thing to do.”
Watching Chloe’s wish come true, Walker felt overjoyed for the 7-year-old, knowing it was a moment free from the worries of cancer.
“I think my favorite part is helping other people, because I think it’s very important to help others and give back to your community,” Walker said.
Classmate Michael Fry said students embraced the opportunity to make a difference in the young girl’s life.
“It’s important to do something like this, because we can make a big impact on her life,” he said. “She has something she has to live with, and it’s important for her to feel special.”
Seventh-grader Bear Callan agreed, adding that he wanted to be a part of the project because it allowed him to help create a positive moment in someone’s life.
“It feels good to have an impact on a child’s life and help them and their family, especially when they’re going through such rough things,” Callan said, reflecting also on the faith aspect of the service project. “We are told to help one another. That’s one of the main goals of our faith.”
On hand for the celebration, Dr. Rebecca Hammel, superintendent of Diocese of Dallas Catholic Schools, praised the St. Mark students for their effort and the potential impact it could have on the young cancer patient’s life.
“It’s really important for our Catholic schools to be active in their communities, and St. Mark has gone above and beyond by partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” she said. “This is a beautiful gift for little Chloe, but it also teaches our students the importance of service — serving one another, their community, and their neighbors — so they can make a meaningful impact on the world.”
Lindsey expressed immense gratitude for the community’s support.
“This means more to me than I could ever actually find the right words. [The students] clearly just love being able to do this for children,” she said. “There is just so much cheer and happiness here today after such a long, scary road. To be able to come here and feel that is just overwhelming.”
Cutline for featured image: Chloe Zai, 7, seated center, poses with St. Mark Catholic School students who dressed as various Disney princesses and characters for a Make-A-Wish reveal on March 27 at the Plano school. The event, part of a biennial service project led by St. Mark seventh and eighth graders and done in coordination with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, transformed the campus so that Zai could embark on an adventure to collect puzzle pieces and discover that she and her family would receive a trip to Disney World. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
