Mr. Holzapfel, a Social Studies teacher at Eisenhower Middle School in Wyckoff, assigned his students a project to research and present information about a local charity to their classmates. Alyson, chose Julia’s Butterfly Foundation as her charity of choice. The teacher narrowed the 90 submissions down to 15 entries, and Alyson was one of the finalists. The finalists made their video presentation to the class and the class voted on a winner…Julia’s Butterfly Foundation came in second place and received a donation from the class.

Julia’s Butterfly Foundation
By: Alyson

My name is Alyson, and I am in 7th grade at Eisenhower Middle School. In Social Studies we were assigned to pick a charity that we thought would be the best charity to donate money to. Each student would present their favorite charity and the winner would get all of the money raised in our school’s donation drive. After looking at a number of wonderful organizations, I chose Julia’s Butterfly Foundation.

I have picked a charity that l knew would help so many families who are struggling to help their very ill children. This organization has helped so many families, all over New Jersey get the help that they need to live a happy life. They would give families wheelchairs, braces, and so much more that their children need so desperately but just can’t afford in this economy. This charity knows what it is like to have a very ill child with a disorder because a little girl named Julia’s parents started the charity. After Julia died of a rare kidney disorder, in 2005. Her family decided that they wanted to help other families that were having similar struggles.

One reason that I argued that we should raise money for this charity is because the people that started the charity know how it is like to have a kid in need of help. The family knows the struggles that people go through just to make sure their child is happy and able to get the things they need so badly in life.

Another reason that I felt we should raise money for this charity is because we will never understand all the pain and struggles that these kinds of children have gone through. Julia was born prematurely. She suffered from a rare kidney disorder and subsequent Cerebral Palsy. Julia was never able to walk or to talk. She was dependent on a feeding tube as her primary source of nutrition. But Julia was smart and she always found a way to let you know what she wanted! She enjoyed the simple pleasures in life. She liked playing with her Barbie’s and always wanted to be included in a game of hide and seek. She was up for a long walk outside anytime of the year and spent many hours sitting on the porch swing visiting with family and kids in the neighborhood. She never wanted to be left behind. She loved riding in the car especially when a good song came on the radio that made everyone sing-a-long. The little things that we take for granted are some people’s favorite parts of life. Julia could not talk, I could not imagine my life if I could not talk but she did not have a problem with not being able to talk. She found happiness in herself and took in everything in life and noticed the little beauties of the world.

A final reason I asked that Julia’s Butterfly Foundation be selected is because it raises money for families in our community. Julia’s family lives in Midland Park and do so many great things. They have participated in so many events including the Butterfly Ball, Carlo’s Bakery, Franklin Lakes Day, Wyckoff Day, and a fundraising event at Lord and Taylor. They do so many things in our community and we should give back for all the wonderful things that they do.

All of these reasons are why I recommended we raise money for Julia’s Butterfly Foundation. They are so caring, nice, thoughtful, and make so many families wishes come true. We can help them help even more families in desperate need of there help.

Although Julia’s Butterfly Foundation made it to the finalists of dozens of applicants, they lost to another very deserving charity. The winner claimed that if we raised enough money, Justin Bieber would preform for our school. Did I mention 7th graders voted on the winner….?