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5th grader raises money to get entire school water bottles

She started the project when she noticed some kids didn't have them.

DUNEDIN, Fla. — A simple water bottle--something so small, but so important for many school kids since water fountains were turned off due to the pandemic.  But, not all students could afford one.

When one Pinellas County fifth-grader found out this was a problem, she decided to solve it.

"One day my friend Tamya, she was like, 'I'm really thirsty, where'd you get your water bottle from?' and I was like Walmart and she was like, 'Oh, my mom won't be able to buy that for me.'"  

That conversation made 10-year-old Alexis Blakeslee realize that not all of her classmates at Dunedin Elementary had reusable water bottles. So, she started a GoFundMe.

Assistant Principal Tina Murphy says Alexis' accomplishment surprised her. 

"When Alexis came up with this idea, you know I never thought that she would be able to get water bottle for the whole school," Murphy said. 

But she did, raising more than 500 bucks in just a few weeks.  

"Then my heart went from like crunched to put back together because whenever like it's like a happy ending. I was like, so happy," Alexis said. 

Murphy says the students were thrilled. 

"We're so proud of her. We have a wonderful group of kids here and the thanks and appreciation they showed, it was just beautiful. It was just an act of kindness that just impacted so many children."

Alexis has this advice for kids who want to help others. "Like, one person can affect the whole entire world."

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