School Supply Drive - EDCI

Community Engagement - Signature Event

Throughout the Fall 2017 semester, I tutored students in reading through a program called East Durham Children's Initiative. The 30 students enrolled in the program were English Language Learners who lived in areas of high poverty and crime. I was so moved by how hard the students worked each week to become better readers. In an effort to help these students further, I coordinated a school supply drive two weeks prior to our last session on Wednesday, November 15th. 



I put out flyers and drop-off boxes in Poe Hall and in my sorority house. I was overjoyed with the amount of support I received from this project. The day before our last session, I laid everything out on the table and was able to give each child a bag full of items that included notebooks, colored pencils, folders, crayons, notebook paper, scissors, erasers, pencils, and gift certificates to eat for free at Jason's Deli. Delivering those bags to the students the next day was the most heartwarming experience I have been a part of. Students were grinning from ear to ear as they walked out with their bags so full that they were dragging on the hallway floor. 

I am so thankful to have been able to work with these students and with the EDCI program as a whole. I have learned so much about how to be selfless and conscious about differences in learning and culture through this whole experience. I would recommend doing service work such as this in your local community! Thank you to Dr. Harrington, Christine Dickerson, Olivia Fitzgerald, the juniors of the Elementary Education program at NC State, and the sisters of Kappa Delta Sorority for all of your generous donations to the school supply drive. The bags for the children wouldn't have been nearly as full without all of your help!

To learn more about EDCI click the following link: http://edci.org/en

"The Power of Your Pencil" - Silent Auction

Global Knowledge - Signature Event 

On November 13th from 5-7pm, I hosted a Silent Auction and Balloon Pop Event in Poe Hall. The planning and organization of this awesome event took place in the 3 weeks prior. The main purpose of this event was to raise money for an organization called Pencils of Promise. The event was a huge success and raised $623!! I am proud to announce that this surpassed my goal of $500 and is enough money to train one Pencils of Promise Teacher!

Pencils of Promise is a non-profit organization that builds schools, provides clean water and trains teachers in developing countries. I joined Pencils of Promise at NC State in the second semester of my Sophomore year and I have loved it ever since. I think that as a future educator, it is not only important to provide for the students that we impact directly, but to also provide for and encourage students globally. To learn more about Pencils of Promise click the following link: https://pencilsofpromise.org/.

Planning and organizing the silent auction was very challenging for me, as I was doing most of it alone. I took two full weekends to visit various businesses and ask them to donate items, in which some were very happy to do and others not so much. Thankfully, I was able to gather 11 items for the auction. A few of the items were a hand-painted cooler, 3 pieces of Kendra Scott jewelry, two NC State tumblers, an NC State serving dish, a Pampered Chef gift basket and more. At the event, I also had a Balloon Pop in which attendees could pay $1 to pop a balloon and win a prize. I think this added a fun piece to the event. I also provided Chick-fil-a catering for those who attended since the event took place around dinner time.

I learned a lot about myself as a student and as a future educator during this event. I think the main thing I learned is that it may take some extra work and effort to show support to children globally, but what you get out of it is so special. When people asked me why I decided to do this, I told them that I thought about all of the great teachers I ever had, all of the beautiful schools I had been in, and then thought about what life would be like for me if none of that had existed. When I asked people to do the same, their attitudes toward donating a few dollars changed completely. This small event helped give the gift of education to so many children, and for that I am so proud and thankful!

Special thanks to the following people for their help with this event: Tammy Davis, Paige Doyle, Kendra Scott, Annette Peck, Alumni Hall, Impeccable Pig, Taylor Narron, Rachel Giddings and Tremaine Brittian! 

If you would like to donate to Pencils of Promise please click the following link: https://fundraise.pencilsofpromise.org/fundraise?fcid=1164994.