Beach 10-year-old persuades retail giant to donate umbrellas

VIRGINIA BEACH

Jaedyn Heil attends a weekly chapel service at Atlantic Shores Christian School, but it was something other than her Bible studies that enabled her to experience firsthand the meaning of “ask and you shall receive.”

It was a writing project. Her teacher, Wendy Wesselman, had her fifth-grade class write a persuasive letter as part of its language arts studies. While some of the children requested items for themselves, such as a toys or electronics, others asked for donations of canned goods for Atlantic Shores Baptist Church’s pantry and books for the school’s library.

Jaedyn thought for a while in order to come up with a need supported by two valid reasons. Then, an idea occurred to the 10-year-old who recently moved here from Tennessee.

“We need umbrellas,” said Jaedyn, noting the fifth- and sixth-graders at the elementary campus walk outside from one building to another to get to the cafeteria, band room and computer lab.

She turned to someone she knew would have them – the country’s largest retailer.

“The students play outside and if it’s really sunny, we might get sunburned,” Jaedyn wrote to the CEO of Walmart U.S., Bill Simon. “When it rains, the students get wet, if they do not have umbrellas, since the buildings are not so close.”

A few weeks later, Jaedyn’s parents, CeCe and Rick Heil, were joyfully surprised when a Walmart representative showed up at the door of their home in North Shore at Ridgely Manor.

“They tracked down Jaedyn to give her as many umbrellas as she wanted,” CeCe Heil said. “We thought maybe they’d give her a gift card or one umbrella, but this was shocking. We know they must get tons of requests.”

The representative placed an order for 45 basic black umbrellas – enough for the fifth- and sixth-grade students to swap as needed.

An impromptu visit to the school several weeks later to present Jaedyn with the umbrellas left her feeling equally astonished.

“I was so excited,” said Jaedyn, who was met with cheers from her classmates.

“I encourage children, as a teacher, that when you do put together a well-written letter, you can do some good,” Wesselman said.

The Heils couldn’t be any prouder of their daughter, whom her mother describes as a good student with a sweet spirit. To date, Jaedyn’s letter is the only one to elicit a response. As for Jaedyn, she is busy working on a self-led assignment: writing the best thank-you note she can.