Taft Middle School Student Spends Summer Collecting Supplies

Ansely Emeanuwa prepares to load up the school supplies he collected into a van for distribution.

August 20, 2010

When a teacher asks Ansely Emeanuwa for a “what I did this summer” essay, he’s got it covered.

The Taft Middle School seventh-grader spent his summer vacation collecting about $2,000 worth of school supplies that he donated to help his fellow Albuquerque Public Schools students. The day before classes started, APS Schools and Community Partnerships brought a van to Ansely’s house to pick up the supplies and take them to the warehouse for distribution. Some 2,067 items, by Ansely’s count, were loaded up.

Ansely became a distributor of sorts last year, when classmates would ask him for an extra pencil or notebook because they didn’t have any. In many cases, their parents had been laid off and didn’t have money for school supplies. He also saw on the news that it was a common problem all over.

“It made me so sad,” he said.

Ansely took matters into his own hands and filled his summer knocking on doors throughout his neighborhood. He said he got great response from his neighbors. Then he hit up Walmart, Office Depot, Bethesda Seventh Day Adventist Church and Calvary Chapel, all of whom contributed generously. The APS Education Foundation has also pitched in $500.

“Kids throughout the district do wonderful things for their peers and classmates all the time, but this is an amazing display of selflessness,” Foundation executive director Phill Casaus said. “Ansely’s a great example to all of us, and we’re glad we can do a little something to help his efforts.”

The effort will continue throughout the year, with the two churches putting collection boxes at their entrances. Ansely said he plans to do it all again next summer, too.

The 12-year-old said he found it very satisfying to help his community. When a reporter asked him what advice he had for others, he suggested that kids get their homework done, turn off the TV and get out there.

“If you want to help your community, America is waiting for you,” Ansely said. “There are lots of things you can do.”