Briar Woods Student Feels Call to Help Briarwood Students

As Brooke Wivagg, 16, watched media reports of the devastation a massive tornado inflicted upon Moore, OK, and the surrounding community a little more than a week ago, she knew she wanted to do something but wasn’t sure what.

“When I was watching the news Monday night of all the terrible things in Oklahoma, I was thinking, ‘I want to help, I want to help,’” The Briar Woods High School junior explained. “Seeing Briarwood Elementary School made me realize this is it. This is something I want to do.”

Briarwood Elementary was destroyed in the tornado, and the connection to the name prompted Wivagg to focus her attention on that school. She took a jar to her school the next day to collect donations, but had no real plan. The jar began to fill rapidly. In the afternoon she hit the girls soccer and softball games, and by the evening she’d raised nearly $1,000.

“Then I started creating a plan of action,” Brooke said.

This week, Brooke has planned a bake sale at Briar Woods. She also arranged for Hillside Elementary, Mill Run Elementary and Eagle Ridge Middle schools to also display collection jars through Friday. She has greeted students arriving at school and roamed the halls to collect donations.

In addition, Zinga! agreed to dedicated 5 percent of its sales from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to the cause. Buffalo Wing Factory was planning something similar Sunday (call the restaurant for the latest details). SNOW Swimming and Long & Foster have also pitched in. The organizers of YouthFest also contacted Brooke attend the event in Brambleton and continue raising money. Ashburn Rotary pitched in, too.

Even before the bake sale, YouthFest and local business fundraisers, Brooke reached her goal of raising $5,000, according to her mother, Lauran Wivagg.

“Proud is an understatement,” Lauren Wivagg said. “We been so conditioned living here in Ashburn, particularly with the teens, how they get everything handed to them, my kids included. We live in a bubble.”

And while local causes often gain momentum, Brooke’s mom wasn’t sure how fundraising would go for a school in Oklahoma.

“What surprised me was that when faced with something that affected other children … outside the bubble … I’m blown away,” Lauren Wivagg said. “These kids are emptying their piggybanks to brink money in. I’m very, very impressed.”

Brooke said she’s pretty impressed, too. She had no idea the entire community would stand behind the cause.

“It’s amazing. I was so overwhelmed by the response,” she said. “All the people do care about this school halfway around the country.”

Brooke, who raised money with a lemonade stand to help Hurricane Katrina victims as a child, seems to have the giving spirit. She’s been kicking around the idea of doing a school supplies drive for Briarwood at the end of the summer.

If she has her way, she’ll deliver her donation to Briarwood in person. After contacting the school system, she learned that she can donate the money directly to the school.

“I kind of want it to be used for a playground or to stock the library with books,” she said. “But anything it can be used for, I’ll be happy.”

Brooke hopes the connection between the two schools lasts into the future.

Those wishing to help can send a contribution through Paypal to Lauren Wivagg at dollydelta@aol.com. All proceeds will go to Briarwood Elementary School.