WESTFIELD — Eight-year-old Temperance Freeman is a little girl with a big idea. She’s raising money to plant a big shade tree at her school to replace her favorite tree that was knocked down last year.

Within a week, she met and exceeded her initial goal of raising $800. By the start of this week, the second grader at Munger Hill Elementary School has raised more than $1,300 with 47 donations through a GoFundMe.com campaign set up in early February.

Temperance got the idea for a tree fundraiser after her teacher asked students to write in their journals about making school a better place.

“When I was writing, I thought about the tree and how much fun I had,” she said. “It gave us so many good things. And the environment will be better with a new tree.”

Now that Temperance has raised more than her original goal, she will have enough money to buy a bench — and perhaps additional items to enhance the area around the new tree.

Some ideas she and her classmates are considering include flowers, mulch, a bird bath, a statue and a second bench.

“She wants to make a beautiful focal point and gathering area for years to come, so the more we raise, the more opportunities there are to make this area beautiful,” said her mother, Kelly Freeman.

Kelly created the GoFundMe page so there would be a safe and transparent platform for Temperance to collect a large amount of money.

“We’ve all been astounded by the response and publicity — none of us expected such a tremendous and rapid response, but we’re very grateful for it,” she said.

“I miss the old tree,” said Temperance. “A new tree will help the school and the environment. And having a bench will be more comfortable than sitting on the ground.”

For Temperance, the old tree was special. It had been a part of her life at the school since she and her classmates were kindergartners.

“It gave us shade. We sat under it to read and to relax. It was also a great place to play hide-and-seek,” she said.

Described as a “monster of a tree” by Kelly, the nearly 80-foot-tall pin oak — which survived the June 2011 tornado that damaged the school — came crashing down during a storm last April. It fell just days after Temperance returned from virtual learning to in-person classes.

She wants to get “a big tree for shade” to plant around Earth Day, which is April 22. As part of the learning process for her fundraiser, she will visit a local nursery and learn about different types of shade trees. Her mother said it will likely be a maple or an oak tree.

“Earth Day is a day we have to take care of the Earth and our environment,” said Temperance. “Planting a tree makes the environment healthier.”

Replanting a tree will help to make the soil richer and benefit birds, she explained.

Her teacher, Katherine Whippert, said she realized how passionate Temperance is about getting a new tree while brainstorming with students about ideas for their journal assignment.

“That was the first time the tree was really talked about in depth in our class,” Whippert said. “Lots of children thought it was sad that the tree was gone. They mentioned how they hung out under it, used it for meeting with friends, collecting acorns, and just playing near and around it.”

Whippert said she’s “thrilled” about Temperance’s fundraiser.

“I’ve used this journal writing for a few years, and it’s the first idea the children have written about to ever take flight. Temperance loves a challenge.”

Temperance turned her idea into action by asking her principal and the PTO if she could start the tree fundraiser. She even wrote her own script for her presentation.

“I was nervous, but was so excited when they said yes. It meant a lot to me,” Temperance said.

Salvatore Frieri, the school’s principal, said Temperance “wowed” them with her “compassionate proposal.” He added that she’s “thoughtful and eloquent, and is a natural leader who speaks softly, but with laser focus.”

Kelly said she and her husband Greg are “endlessly proud” of Temperance.

“She can be shy asking for help, so to have her speak in front of the PTO and reach out to the community for support has been a wonderful experience as parents to watch her grow in this way.”

She added that they’ve often talked with Temperance — the oldest of four siblings — about ways to support the school and their community, and “we were very excited to help guide her on her first project.”

Temperance is typically the “quiet leader,” said her mother, so this is the first time she’s been in the spotlight. She said the journal prompt was just what her daughter needed to “get the gears turning.”

Temperance is now organizing a bake sale at the school’s upcoming book fair — an idea she came up with on her own while writing in her journal. She is designing a poster to hang in the school and has created a hand-drawn flyer that’s been copied and distributed to the school’s 344 students.

Whippert said all the students are excited about replacing the tree, which is now just a stump. Frieri said the old tree has been “missed by all, including other grades, faculty, and staff.”

“It was a constant comfort before COVID[-19] and before the storm knocked it down for good,” said Frieri. “All the kids are bringing in change to put toward the goal of planting the tree and installing a bench.”

Kelly said she is allowing Temperance to “run the show,” but encouraging her to go slowly, so she doesn’t get overwhelmed, and to think about her goals by developing attainable steps to achieve them.

“There’s a lot she will need to continue to plan and process,” Kelly said. “We want this to be a positive experience for her, and most important, fun.”

Temperance said she’s enjoying her project, but also realizes it’s a lot of work to raise funds: “It’s not just about speaking. It’s a lot of work, but it will be way worth it if we can get a new tree.”

To donate to Temperance’s fundraiser, visit gofund.me/951c18f4.