A selfless Make-A-Wish request

A special project was presented Thursday to a high school student chosen by the Make-A-Wish foundation. Instead of asking for a trip to Disneyland or to meet his favorite hero, the recipient wished for his favorite school facility to be improved.

Jared Andersen, a high school senior battling cancer, was selected by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. When approached, Anderson chose to “Pay it forward” and request his wish be put toward his school.

“I thought it was very selfless for Jared to be willing, when you have the opportunity to do just about anything you want to do, but to pay it forward to the school I thought was just unbelievable of him,” Principal Jeff Gee said.

Make-A-Wish partnered with the Lift Life Foundation to put together a $100,000 makeover for the Firth High School weight room. As a football player and wrestler, Andersen considers the weight room a second home and continued to work out there after being diagnosed with cancer.

Before getting a tour, Andersen was surprised with a nameplate that read, “The Jared Andersen Weight Room”.

“It’s pretty amazing, I didn’t think it’d be this big this amazing and uh I ‘m just speechless about all this. I really don’t need anything so I guess this helps out my friends in the community and it helps me out a little bit too,” says Andersen.
With Andersen’s wish for this new upgrade, his fellow classmates can enjoy the facility as much as he did.

After battling his cancer for about a year, Andersen is now in remission.