Students at École des Batisseurs in Fredericton, New Brunswick, are rallying together to raise enough money for a service dog for a classmate in need.

Grade 2 student Jesse Wedge was born with Goldenhar syndrome, a rare congenital defect that left him partially paralyzed and with sight and hearing problems on one side of his body. When he was 3 years old, he was also diagnosed with autism.

"We're pretty sure, from what we've researched, that a dog would give him things he needs," Craig Wedge, Jesse's father, told CBC News. "Things like a best friend."

The only problem: service dogs don't come cheap. A dog for Jesse will cost around $30,000.

Jesse's classmates decided to take action. They made a YouTube video in support of their friend, and organized a special fundraiser to help Jesse's family buy a service dog: On Friday, students will pay $1 to wear a costume or their pyjamas to class.

Watch their video — in French — below:

"We want to get him a dog so that he will have somebody to help him as a companion, as a friend, and somebody that will help him find his way around," said Alex Butler, a student at the school.

The school's website is also running an online campaign to help raise the money needed for a service dog. More than $3,000 has been raised so far.

CBC News reports that a service dog's career usually lasts 8 to 10 years, long enough for Jesse to have the same dog through graduation.