Project Guatemala
Creating opportunities for Guatemalans!
Why Project Giveback?
The world generates at least 3.5 million tons of waste a day! JCYF students strive to eliminate waste in one category – school supplies! Each year, barrels are filled with lightly used school supplies and then are donated to students in need. This varies each year. While the local community benefits one year from
these supplies, the next year families living in a country, such as Guatemala, will benefit.
An Idea Was Born
Not only do high school students play a key role in JCYF, an 8th grader also made his mark. With a project in mind, this 8th grader presented his idea to JCF. Attending a Rotary meeting with his parents, Ryan Wilson learned that students in Guatemala have an average of a 3rd grade education. With this in mind, and wanting to repurpose used school supplies, he decided he wanted JCF to take on the project of providing school supplies to the students in Guatemala.
Connecting
Intrigued by his idea, with the help of Rotary, JCYF students set up a Zoom meeting with a teacher in Guatemala. This led to a Zoom meeting with the teacher’s students! Seeing the faces of the students they’d be helping brought joy and purpose to the faces of the JCYF students.
Implementation
Soon after these meetings, the school supply drive was set into motion! The school supply drive raised enough to stock 12 moving boxes full of supplies, weighing 50 pounds each. This brought the total weight of collected school supplies to 600 pounds!
Lincoln Savage Middle School and Applegate Elementary were in the running for collecting the largest amount of school supplies.Â
Why Guatemala?
Most people don’t realize that parents in Guatemala must pay for their children to attend school, along with paying for their school supplies and food.
Keeping this in mind, collecting pens, pencils, coloring crayons, binders, art supplies, and an abundance of paper, brought a great deal of comfort to the students and their families in Guatemala.Â
Making a Difference
This project continues bringing joy to students and their families. It goes to show that all students have a voice and by using it, can make a difference in their communities and the communities around the world.
