Ali Spizman always has been taught to be thankful, and now she’s giving young children a chance to be thankful as well.

Spizman, a sophomore majoring in consumer journalism in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, designs purses, among other things, that are sold in more than 4,000 stores worldwide.

The bag is named “Handbag of Hope,” and a portion of the proceeds from the bag go to support the Make-a-Wish Foundation, whose mission is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening diseases.

The opportunity to design the bag came unexpectedly.

Spizman was visiting New York City with her mom, Robyn, who was reporting on gift-giving for “The Today Show,” when Spizman was asked her opinion on Mariah Carey’s accessory line.

The guest asked Spizman, who was 15 at the time, what she thought about the line. She replied immediately they should have a line of purses.

Quicker than you could say, “lucky break,” he told her to draw up the design and send him a business proposal.

This would seem like a daunting task for anyone else, but Ali already had written a book called “The Thank You Book for Kids” when she was 13. She used the knowledge from that experience to make the proposal.

“Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I can’t do something,” said Spizman. “I’m a kid-preneur.”

Things moved quickly after that. She sent the drawings and business proposal. The manufacturer approved it, and Spizman decided to pick a charity to which she could donate the proceeds.

She chose Make-a-Wish and was introduced to the story of little girl, Hope Elizabeth Stout, who was 12 years old when she died. Stout’s wish was that every child in her hometown of Charlotte, N.C., with a life-threatening disease would be granted their wish. She had raised $1.2 million to fund that wish.

Spizman knows the values of hard work.

“I’ve grown up in the mindset of if you want to do it, you can do it,” she said. “No one’s going to tell you no.”

Spizman’s purse incorporates a design Stout’s family found in her room after she died – a star design with her name in the middle because Stout’s secret wish was was to be famous, Spizman said.

The purse is now sold in Claire’s and The Icing stores worldwide and has raised over $350,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, she said.

Wishes generally cost about $6,000 each, according to Amy Chance, former internal affairs president for the Wishmakers on Campus.

As of now, the $350,000 raised by Spizman’s products will have funded 58 wishes, but Spizman said she wants to match the $1.2 million Stout had raised.

With that much money, Spizman will have made 200 children that much more thankful.