A Livermore teen has utilized his school project to spread the joy of his favorite toy, Legos, to local foster kids.
Jett Woodworth, 13, organized a Lego drive and collected 95 new Lego sets for donation to If Only You Knew, Inc. (IOYKI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to youth in foster care. Jett said he chose IOYKI because he has friends in foster care and wanted to do something to help them.
“I planned this a while ago,” Jett said. “… one of my friends is in foster care and went through something really difficult, so I’ve been thinking about how to get Legos to foster kids.”
At the beginning of the school year, Jett’s teachers at Joe Michell K-8 school in Livermore began talking about the service project each eighth grader would complete as part of the school’s International Baccalaureate program.
Students were allowed to come up with their own projects and work in groups or individually. Jett chose to work individually and began putting a plan together to collect Lego sets for donation.
“These kids look for a problem they think they can help with for their project,” said Teresa Hallum, Jett’s project advisor at Joe Michell. “Our students are doing many different projects, but Jett loves Legos and wanted to do something with that. He has this focus he applied to this, and I think he has done a great job.”
To get started, Jett worked with the owners of Livermore’s First Street Ale House to set up the restaurant as a drop-off location from March 15-31, offering Lego donors 10% off their bill. Owner Brook Witherspoon said the event was a success.
“The best part of owning a business is being able to give back to our community and it was truly an honor to be able to support such a thoughtful cause,” Witherspoon said. “Jett combined two of his passions to make a real impact and it was so fun to play a small part in bringing his mission to life.”
In addition to the donations received through First Street Ale House, Jett also received sets in the mail from family and friends living out of the area. After gathering all 95 sets together, he handed them over to IOYKI for distribution to foster children.
“It felt really good,” Jett said of the donation. “But anyone can donate to If Only You Knew … On their web page they have a list of donations they accept. One thing to note is they only accept new items, which is why I only accepted sealed Lego sets.”
Though he’s finished collecting Legos for now, Jett still must give a presentation on his project in school. He said he’s not done helping If Only You Knew, Inc., though, and hopes to volunteer his time for future events.
The First Street Ale House is located at 2106 First St. in Livermore. For more information, call 925-371-6588 or visit www.firststreetalehouse.com.
