Teacher raises money for little girl

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Family and colleagues of first grade teacher Jodi Southard say one word describes her well: humble.

"I hear certain things from other teachers or from Principal Mardis. It blows me away that I hear these things but she doesn't come home and brag about it. It's like I gotta do it, and I'm a teacher and that's what I gotta do," Jodi's husband, Andrew Southard said.

Her most recent act of kindness is raising money for her student's sister, Katelyn Newell, who needs a heart transplant.

She's been at Riley Hospital since January.

 "I know at that point I gotta do something and this was just kind of my way of being able to help out at least a little bit, take some of that financial burden off of them," Jodi Southard said.

Southard did it through her blog on Teachers Pay Teachers.

It's a website that lets educators earn extra money by selling their lesson plans.

Instead, she gave away her lessons for a donation.

"I had people all across the country give anywhere from $25 up to $100 and earned over $10,000 in just a little more than a week," Southard said.

"I'm so proud of her, of the person she is and the teacher that she is," Deming Elementary School Principal Susan Mardis said.

"She's my hero," Andrew Southard said.

It's a heartfelt gesture.

"She wouldn't want to be recognized for kindnesses she is very humble and does many things that you're not even aware of," Mardis said.

They're silent acts of kindness that Southard wouldn't have any other way.

Southard's brother-in-law recently had a heart transplant.

Katelyn's story hit close to home.

If you'd like to help Katelyn, click on this link .