Youth for Refugees organizes district-wide school supply drive
The school supplies will be donated to the Kansas City International Academy
February 3, 2020
Youth for Refugees is organizing a district-wide school supply drive beginning Tuesday, Feb. 18 and ending Friday, Feb. 21 to provide for the Kansas City International Academy, a school dedicated to educating students from all over the world. Students will be able to donate to the drive outside the counseling office.
Senior and Youth for Refugees president Belle Baker is responsible for organizing the drive and has put a lot of work toward it.
“I went and talked to all the principals at the middle schools, I contacted Chase Culver to make it happen at De Soto, I made sure to get [senior] Rylee McElroy’s posters she made to the middle school principals and I’m just trying to organize it all,” Baker said.
Ever since it started, Youth for Refugees has been working with the Kansas City International Academy. Baker is dedicated toward helping their cause.
“It’s a school that teaches students from all over the world,” Baker said. “Some are refugee students, and a lot of their parents can’t afford a lot of supplies, so they try to supply as much as possible. That’s where our help comes in.”
Baker has been working toward getting other people involved in the drive, including De Soto senior and student body president Chase Culver.
“My goal within the drive is to simply make an impact on the less fortunate within the KC Metro community,” Culver said. “As long as one person is able to have access to school supplies, I am happy.”
Culver is passionate about helping the students at the Kansas City International Academy.
“I think the drive will help the Kansas City International Academy because all educational facilities, especially one that focuses on empowering children globally, need school supplies,” Culver said.
Baker is determined to make the drive a success.
“This is really important to me because I generally like to help people,” Baker said. “I really want to show up and be able to help them out. I don’t want to show up with very little. Everyone in the club has worked so hard to make this happen that I really want it to be so successful.”
