Finalist Submissions

Montana Checkoff

(Undergraduate Student)

Title: Tools For School

Essay: Tools for School is a non-profit organization that raises money to purchase backpacks and school supplies for underprivileged children. The organization is led by a group of approximately 30 teens from the South Jersey area, which is captured by our "Kids Helping Kids" slogan. Over the past 9 years, we have helped over 10,000 kids start their years off successfully at school.

School supplies help give students confidence in school and empower them to engage in learning. Without them, students may feel intimidated and incapable of doing their best in the classroom. I strive to raise awareness of this largely unnoticed issue so that our communities can work together to help those in need.

Through Tools for School, I work not only to alleviate a financial burden for underprivileged families, but I also work to raise awareness of this plight in my community. I have successfully shown others that not every kid can afford a new backpack and pencils every year, and that there are many people in our community who are struggling financially. In today’s world, people turn a blind eye and ignore the poverty others experience. The more people we touch with Tools for School, the closer we as a community come to lessening the struggles of others.

Thanks to donations from community members, corporate sponsors, and partnerships, Tools for School has raised approximately $100,000 and packed more than 10,000 backpacks since 2013. Our goal in 2022 is to pack 5,000 backpacks. In 2021, 3,000 backpacks were distributed to over 15 schools in the South Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania areas.

Come August, we will have fundraised all year to pack the backpacks with the community. This gives everyone the opportunity to see what goes into the backpacks and ensures that they are aware of the difference they have made by personally recognising how much goes into just one backpack, and how this can impact a child's experience in school.

With our goal of packing 5,000 backpacks this year in mind, we are working extensive hours to raise money. With the work we put into the next 8 months, we plan to meet that goal on time. I also plan to use my 4 years of leadership to make this goal possible as well as aiding the teens in doing so too.

One of my goals in life is to make a difference in the lives of others and in my community. I feel that Tools for School has had such a positive impact not only on the students who receive the supplies, but also on the volunteers and the people and organizations who donate. The happiness and pride I feel when I see the smile that spreads across a child's face when he or she is handed a brand-new backpack is both moving and motivating. These smiles are forever ingrained in my mind, and they inspire me when I am spending hours publicizing, collecting, and sorting to make this possible.

Pauline Ongiro

(Undergraduate Student)

Title: Let's talk about our kids futures: By Your Side and it's needed Influence

Essay: When you take the time to recognize the influence your childhood has had on the decisions you've made along your lifetime, you notice how your environments, guardians, and peers built the characteristics you have today. And also on the ones brought down by their influence. Whether it was ridicule for your attire, mannerisms, or liking things not favored by most, you remember it as the moments the people you go for support did the opposite. This form of acceptance is nothing new. It has children believe following the majority is their best bet to assure acceptance from those in their environments. I created By Your Side to be a part of the solution that educates children on advocating for themselves and others, grasping the importance of self-respect, and developing personalized tools to be by their side throughout their lifetime. The work done is to assure children become better by doing better- for themselves, those they love, their communities, nation, and world.

By Your Side activities and lessons have been done in summer camps and daycare centers such as Sr. Mary Hart Children Program, Bright Horizon, and SMOC. Since its launch, over 70 children have strengthened their connection with themselves through our modernized approach to social-emotional development that caters to the rise of youth cellphone use and current social issues impacting their lives. This work has made children more comfortable speaking openly about their emotions with peers and navigating those emotions to understand why they exist. An unbreakable bond forms between themselves and their communities to develop as both parties see the benefits of speaking up when needing more support. Our work teaches children how to regain control of moments when their limits were tested by others who did not care for their emotions and to form stronger bondage. With regaining control of moments, we work to have children understand that this is their world too and their actions and behaviors create it. We provide children with tactics and lessons that place themselves in others' shoes. This allows children to see their environments from different perspectives, different mindsets, and values to have them become critical thinkers that always stay questioning social norms and behaviors.

Through By Your Side's modernized approach to social-emotional development, summer camps, guardians, and daycares have begun to recognize a new approach is needed to prepare current children for our changing world. With the current mental health epidemic and the growing divide between our community members neighbors, educators and guardians know a new approach is dire to assure connection, trust, and confidence are rebuilt and that our countries children are our source to assure the continuation of becoming better for themselves and others never diminishes.