Durango High School’s annual schoolwide Make-A-Wish fundraising assembly last week included a special guest: 5-year-old Ody Catsman, whose wish to be a train conductor on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Polar Express was granted last year.
Students, faculty and staff gathered at the assembly to wrap up a week of Kids for Wish Kids fundraising for Make-A-Wish Colorado, an organization that grants the wishes of children with severe illnesses.
Kids For Wish Kids is Make-A-Wish Colorado’s student-led fundraising program, which provides students with hands-on philanthropic experience, cultivates leadership skills and supports efforts to grant wishes for Colorado children with critical illnesses, according to Sarah Twomey, senior manager of strategic communications at Make-A-Wish Colorado.
More than 250 schools across the state participated in the program in 2025, according to a release by the organization, making it the largest student-led Make-A-Wish fundraising program in the country. The program successfully fundraised enough to grant the wishes of 285 Colorado children with critical illnesses last year, the release said.
Last week’s fundraising was themed toward the wish of nonlocal wish kid Jude, a 6 year old with a neuromuscular genetic condition who wants to go on a Disney Cruise. Though Jude was the ambassador of the week, the money raised through the DHS program was given to Make-A-Wish at large to benefit the organization and its wish granting, rather than to a specific family.
Jude was unable to be at the assembly, but Ody and his mom, Kathryn, made a special appearance to talk about the power of a wish.
At 4 weeks old, Ody was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that damages the lungs, digestive system and other organs.
Though challenges from the illness plagued Ody for much of his early life, the boy is now thriving thanks to medication, Kathryn said.
Ody attends preschool and is an avid traveler through his trips to Denver for treatment and testing, his mom said. He enjoys going on airplanes, riding the Polar Express, skiing, playing hockey and spending time with his siblings, Chip and Quinn.
A crowd of cheering DHS students showed up to see Ody off on his train journey last year, which ultimately had to be postponed due to a train derailment. Luckily, Ody was able to get his wish granted several weeks later.
Ody and his mom returned to the school just over a year later to express their gratitude for the school’s warm send-off on that day in 2024 and to discuss the impact Make-A-Wish had on Ody.
“Some of the things that Ody’s seen in his life thus far, he shouldn’t have had to see,” Kathryn told The Durango Herald. “It was just a great opportunity to step away from all the stress of his disease and really be a family and create memories together. … And it was just so fun to see the high school (at the trainyard). When we came in they were cheering and so happy to see Ody. And it just really made it magical. And that’s why we’re here today.”
Because of Ody’s illness, being exposed to germs – like those that can be present at a large school assembly – can be risky, so the pair attended only the beginning of the assembly to keep exposure to a minimum. It felt important to Kathryn to find a way to attend with Ody, she said.
“With cystic fibrosis, you really shouldn’t be around this many people because of germs and stuff,” Kathryn said. “But we really wanted to give back, because it was such a great thing for our family to be able to do something special and different that we wouldn’t normally be able to do, you know?”
DHS staff, faculty and students went head-to-head in pairs to raise as much money as they could for Make-A-Wish throughout the week, and the winners from each face-off were announced at the assembly. Some good-natured “punishments” were doled out to the losers – including one being pied in the face and one having to wear a wedding dress for the rest of the day.
All the fun and levity of the assembly was underscored by a serious and meaningful message: Children like Ody, who deal with severe illness daily, deserve to have their wishes come true.
“Our big message here today is if you have your health, you have everything,” Kathryn said at the assembly. “People take that for granted every day, and you don’t realize until you don’t have it. It affects everything, you know?”
According to the district, as of Tuesday $8,585 had been raised through this year’s Wish Week efforts for Make-A-Wish.
Michelle Flom, a DHS math teacher and student council adviser who led students in this year’s Wish Week fundraising, said the program is a valuable opportunity for students to learn about and focus on children who are less fortunate.
“(They’re) able to give to something greater than ourselves,” she said. “It is such a fun time to come together with other schools and our Durango community to make a difference in the lives of many children across Colorado.”
epond@durangoherald.com
An earlier version of this story erred in saying Ody’s wish was granted last month. His wish to be a conductor on the train was granted last year. The error was made in editing.
