The Macy's Believe campaign presents
a number of opportunities to explore
the themes of holiday giving with
creative writing and visual art. In
addition to enjoying the fun activity
sheets, and reading about the
importance of giving back, these
learning activities will be maximized by
putting what students have learned
into practice in the real world.
Following are a variety of suggested
activities you can participate in with
students to further their engagement in
learning the life-lesson of philanthropy
and helping grant wishes for children in
your local community.
Write a Letter to Santa
Help make a child's wish come true! From now to Dec. 24, Macy's will donate
$1 to Make-A-Wish® for every letter received, up to $1 million. Write your
letter online or drop it off in-store at a Macy's red letterbox. When you write
letters to Santa, you'll help bring experiences of hope and joy into the lives of
children with critical illnesses.
Scan the QR Code or Visit http://bit.ly/santaME
to Write a Letter Online
or
Print the Included Template and Drop Off at the
Macy's in The Maine Mall
National Believe Week: Nov. 28 - Dec. 4
Submit a letter this week and double your donation!
Establish who the letter is for and make an introduction
Ex. Hello!; Dear Santa; Happy Holidays!; To Santa & Reindeer
What is your letter about?
Ex. This holiday I want to grant wishes to other kids in need; I’d really like a puppy!
Finally, you need to end your letter. This can include a farewell message and your name,
so the recipient, in this case, Santa, knows who sent the letter
Ex. Thanks Santa! Love, Billy
Writing A Holiday Wish Letter
Learning Objectives
Letter writing structure and writing mechanics
Duration
45 minutes
Lesson
Letters should include three main components:
Greeting
Body
Closing
What is a letter?
Write out an example letter to show students what a letter is and explain why we write
letters. Ex. To keep in touch with family and friends, to address an issue, and of course, to
share with Santa what we want for the holidays! Then, teach them the concept of a greeting,
body, and closing. You can also use this opportunity to teach students how to write a date.
Time to practice!
List out several different greetings as examples, then have your student come up with their
own different greetings. Ask students to write down what they want to say in their letter in
the body. List out several different closing words or phrases, then have your student come up
with their own ways of closing their letter. Remind students to always sign their name in the
closing.
Letter Writing Activity
Have your students practice writing a letter to Santa on their own on the stationary provided.
Assessment
Have student read letter aloud or review your student’s work and discuss any necessary skills
to work on.
You can send a letter online at bit.ly/mainesanta or
drop off letters at the Macy's store at the Maine Mall in the big red letterbox.
P.S. You can write as many letters as you want!
Elementary School
Write the words "philanthropy" "nonprofit" and "hero" on the board or share on screen.
Ask students to define the words as part of a class discussion. Teacher may provide
guidance to define philanthropy as the giving or sharing of time, talents, or treasure for the
common good.
Guide students to define heroes by brainstorming examples of heroes in literature, the
news, and in the school and community. Make a list of these people and what they did for
others. Ask them to think of the common traits of these heroes.
Students should write the definitions for each term in a journal in their own words.
Ask students if it is the responsibility of people to help those in need. Discuss whether it is
everybody's responsibility to make the world a better place even if they don't have money
to give. Why is philanthropy a responsibility for a civil society?
Share the story of Make-A-Wish (included in this packet) and show "Kellan Wishes for a
Path to the Barn" from the Make-A-Wish Maine YouTube channel. Discuss what kinds of
philanthropy are involved in granting wishes (time, talent, and/or treasure). Teacher Note:
Make-A-Wish Maine relies on the work of 200+ volunteers to work with wish children to
discover and bring their wish to life. Businesses can donate services (ex: excavating land,
building play sets) to offset the cost of granting wishes. Community groups and individuals
host fundraisers (ex: wiffle ball tournament, penny wars) to raise critical funds.
Share the letter writing activity included in this packet and have students write a letter to
show how they can use their time and talents to help grant wishes to children in Maine.
Show the students how to use available resources, like GuideStar.org, to determine what
additional nonprofit organizations are in your area.
Students list in their journals three local community resources or nonprofits that provide
for the betterment of the community and explain what they do and how philanthropy
helps them achieve their mission. Have each student share at least one with the class.
Philanthropy and Good Deeds
Learning Objectives
Define philanthropy, research nonprofits, and help raise money to grant wishes
Duration
45 minutes
Materials
Journal, Internet Access
Instructions
Reflection
When we see a need, sometimes we say, "Why don't they do something about that?" Maybe
that somebody is you. What is an issue you have seen or read about that you would like to
address and how might you use philanthropy to do it?
Adapted from "Sharing is Giving" lesson plan on learningtogive.org
Middle and High School
Our Mission
Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.
Our History
Make-A-Wish traces its inspiration to Christopher James Greicius, an energetic 7-year-old boy
battling leukemia who wished to be a police officer. In 1980, his Phoenix community came
together to make his wish come true. Little did Chris know that his wish would create a
movement that would transform millions of lives.
In 1992, the Maine chapter of Make-A-Wish was founded by Wayne and Caroline Morong to
serve children in each of Maine's 16 counties. Since then, we have granted over 1600 wishes.
Wishes that give families hope through dark times, strength to persevere and experiences that
forever change their lives.
How Wishes Are Granted
The Maine chapter uses trained volunteer wish granters who meet the child and family to
determine the wish. Staff wish-granting coordinators then work to put the wish together. All
wish expenses are fully covered, including travel and spending money. Our objective is to
provide the child and family a worry-free experience. We rely upon in-kind gifts and donations
from individuals and corporations, as well as the generous donation of time and talents of over
200 statewide volunteers.
Make-A-Wish®
Make-A-Wish and Macy's Partnership History
Macy’s and Make-A-Wish have been partners since 2003. Since then, Macy’s has donated
over $132M, helping Make-A-Wish grant over 15,500 wishes, and impacting over 3 million
lives. The Macy’s Believe Campaign is just one of the amazing ways Macy’s supports the
Make-A-Wish mission.
89% of parents observed an increase in their child's
emotional strength and overall health status.
81% of parents observed an increased willingness by their
child to comply with difficult treatments.
97% of parents said the wish experience strengthened their
families and gave them the opportunity to be a "normal"
family again.
Impact of a Wish
Acrostic Poem
e
l
i
e
v
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Word Scramble
Unscramble each group of letters to form a word.
1. iveg ________________
2. ytchiar ________________
3. pohe ________________
4. tnoeda ________________
5. sihw ________________
Helpul Hints:
cause charity hope wish donate give believe
6. useac________________
7. ielebev________________
Hard Philanthropy Word Search
Can you nd the philanthropy words hidden below? Hint: Some words are hidden diagonally
or backwards.
• donate
• hope
• charity
• give
• believe
• philanthropy
• cause
• volunteer
• kind
• wish
Acrostic Poem
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p
e
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