PLANO, Texas — Earlier this year, Saint Mark’s School in Plano was under attack by a dragon.
Cameras were rolling as students carried the homemade dragon in a video shoot to bring Minecraft to life.
The students have spent years raising money to grant a boy's Make-a-Wish for a computer, gaming chair, and other technology.
“It’s just really cool because you get to bring your gifts and talents to do something for someone else,” said eighth grader Adrienne Frye.
“I’m looking forward to doing this for Anderson to just make him happy,” said seventh grader Kaili Powell.
Anderson Horner, from Forney, loves video games.
However, a couple of years ago, Horner was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis. His body couldn’t digest food and he was in extreme pain.
Like a lot of kids with critical illness, Horner was able to request a wish from the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
That’s how the students at Saint Mark’s learned about him.
It’s become a tradition for the eighth graders to spend a couple of years raising upwards of $10,000 to partner with Make-a-Wish to grant the wish.
The first time they did it six years ago, one student realized they were a few dollars short of their fundraising goal.
“And he put his hand in his pocket and I could tell, you could just see the wheels turning in his head and he sat there for a minute and then he came up and he handed me 10 bucks,” said religion teacher Stacy Oliver.
The students usually hold fundraisers, but a lot of them have donated their own savings, too.
“I think it just woke something up in them that they chose to be givers,” Oliver said.
This is why, even during a pandemic, they were able to deliver the gaming system of Horner’s dreams.
Horner's dad is a WFAA employee, which was unknown to the WFAA crew that went to Saint Mark's school for this story. It was only after interviewing the students, our crew learned the Make-a-Wish recipient was Horner.
Students couldn’t give it to him in person, which is why they made that video. In the video, their school was under attack by a dragon, replicating the dragon in the game Minecraft, and Horner was the only one who could save the school.
That video game presentation was given to Horner along with an all-new computer, gaming chair, headphones and a lot more.
Horner was virtually speechless as he was presented the gifts outside his home, before flashing a big smile with every box he unwrapped.
“It just makes you feel good inside that you’ve done something that will make someone else’s life better,” said eighth grade student Jackson Delaney.
“Love is what we’re called to,” said Frye. “We can show love to everyone. It can be heaven on earth.”
Based on Horner’s reaction alone angels already exist.