Girl's Christmas Wish Is To Pay Off School's Lunch Debt—She Almost Has

NEW LENOX, IL — A 10-year-old girl had one very special wish on her Christmas list—to pay off her school's lunch debt.

Fifth-grader Aria Jandeska, 10, grew up in New Lenox before moving to Wilmington two years ago. As she's gotten to know her school and the children there, she's also begun to understand that some among her might be more in need than others, particularly when it comes to school lunches.

"She notices people say that they can't get something or can't have something," her mom Shauna Jandeska told Patch.

Jandeska told her daughter that it might be a light Christmas this year—like so many families, inflation has not been kind to theirs, she said—and Aria had other ideas for her Christmas list.

Instead of a gift, she asked, would her mom put that money toward helping pay off the school lunch debt at L.J. Stevens Intermediate School?

Touched by her daughter's generosity, Jandeska asked school officials just how much the debt total was: $5,928.44.

She got to work. She set up a PayPal, Venmo and made sure her Zelle was set. She shared her daughter's plight on social media. Within hours, they'd raised $500.

"When I picked her up from school and told her, she started crying," Jandeska said.

Then within two days, the funds raised swelled even more—$2,500.

"This morning when I woke up and told her we had $2,500, she started bawling," Jandeska said.

Her daughter's generosity doesn't surprise Jandeska.

"She’s got the purest heart of any child I’ve ever met," she said. "She’s just the most friendly, loving person—she would do anything for anyone. She stops and helps older people who need help. She’s just a kind, loving soul."

Her ballet, jazz, tap and hip-hop dancing daughter also loves tumbling—and Taylor Swift. The former New Lenox District 122 student adapted well after moving with Jandeska and her fiancé to her new school.

"They flock to her," Jandeska said of her daughter making new friends. "She doesn’t like to have any child left out.

"The light of every room—she lights up every room."

Aria lived in New Lenox with her mother, and grandparents Susan and James Fabris. Jandeska believes growing up in that environment helped shape Aria from an early age.

"She’s funny," said Jandeska, who also was raised in New Lenox and is a graduate of Lincoln-Way Central High School. "And she’s loving, and she’s kind."

Aria has three siblings: stepbrothers Jackson and Brexton Hicks (13 and 10 years old, respectively), and little sister Alita Hicks, 2 years old. Her father, Brandon Hicks, has also been a huge influence on her, Jandeska said—his tutelage even helped her win a school-wide spelling bee last year. Aria's grandparents also still live in New Lenox, and she returns often to play with old friends.

Jandeska hopes to keep chipping away at the total debt, and bring her daughter close to her goal. Donations can be made via PayPal, Venmo or by Zelle using number 815-545-9714.

Aria will move on from Stevens Intermediate next year.

"This is what my daughter’s wish is, is to make sure families don’t suffer," she said. "She wanted to leave a little glow behind."

She's so proud of her.

"There’s not many people like that anymore," Jandeska said. "The world we live in is becoming sadder and sadder—to see she’s trying to do something better not just for herself, it’s just amazing."

<UPDATE: She did it! 'Humbling, Breathtaking': Girl, 10, Pays Off School Lunch Debt In Days>