For some wearing a tie every day is a requirement for work. For six-year-old James Funaro, it's his way to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Suffolk County.

James said he wore one for picture day at Nesconset Elementary School on Oct. 13 and received a number of compliments. After that, the first grader decided to wear one every day. He said to his mother Chimene, "You never know when someone is going to take your picture."

The young man thought he might be able to set a record for the most consecutive days an individual has worn a tie. His parents checked the website for Guinness World Records to see what the requirements were. Chimene said they noticed the organization suggests tying in a fundraising endeavor with the record breaking feat, and James chose Make-A-Wish. It turned out he couldn't go for a record, because it would be difficult for the authority on record breaking to validate it, but his mother said James decided to continue raising money for charity anyway. He was already familiar with Make-A-Wish since one of his cousins and a former classmate from pre-school were granted wishes.

The ambitious first grader hopes to raise $1,000 for Make-A-Wish and has already received over $400. James is so dedicated that besides weekdays, he has also been wearing ties on the weekends and snow days. His mom said he even wore one when he went to the doctor with strep throat. Chimene said James already had a lot of ties from his brother and then received a number of them for Christmas. He said his favorite is one with sailboats against a yellow background and his collection has reached 56.

"I counted all of them," he said.

Andrea Franco, Community Relations Coordinator at Make a Wish's Suffolk County chapter, said when James stopped by the office in Islandia, the staff was extremely impressed by him. When Karine Hollander, President and CEO of the chapter, heard of James, she invited him to the organization's Bouquet of Wishes event to thank him for his efforts.

James and his mom first decided his last tie-wearing day would coincide with the final day of school. However, the young man now plans on wearing ties throughout the summer. He and his mom are planning on buying short-sleeved shirts to go with them in the warmer weather, but he said he knows he can't wear ties in the pool. James said, "Maybe in second grade I'll stop."