Yoobi Changemaker: Grace Richardson
Yoobi started a movement last November called #WhoWillYoobi, which is meant to challenge young people today to think less about the job they’ll have, and more about the person they’ll be or the positive impact they’ll have. Now, we’re taking the #WhoWillYoobi movement to the next level and introducing you to some people we think are actively making a positive change in their communities. Because we love school supplies, and #GirlPower, we’d like to kick off our Changemaker series with Grace Richardson – the super school supply girl.
Changemaker: Grace Richardson
School: Visitation School in Minneapolis, MN-
Grade: Freshman
Favorite School Subject: Science
Q: Tell us Grace, #WhoWillYoobi? How will you change the world for good?
A: I’ll be a human rights activist! I want to be an advocate that draws attention to global issues. I believe it is very important to acknowledge and solve problems by spreading awareness.
Q: How are you making a change in your own community?
A: My siblings and I collect school supplies and donate them to support schools in high-need areas. It all started five years ago when my older sister Sadie was in 7th grade and she noticed students that had tons of unused school supplies at the end of the year, many of which were thrown away! She decided to start an official School Supply Drive, which I still run today! At the end of each year, we go around and collect all the un-used school supplies from all of the classrooms, clean them up, and package them together. We work with the Kids in Need Organization that is a charity here in Minneapolis that provides free school supplies to teachers and students in high-need areas and bring them the dozens of bags of school supplies we collect. When we first started, we sent the school supplies we collected to Haiti to help students there. But after our first year, we realized how great the need was here in our own community and that’s why we decided to team up with Kids in Need Foundation.
Q: What’s your favorite memory from collecting school supplies?
A: My favorite and most memorable moments when collecting school supplies have to be when I am transporting the supplies in grocery bags, and my arms are hurting, but I am happy about it! I know it sounds very strange, but I know that a heavy bag means that more kids will get school supplies. At the end of the day, sometimes your shoulders hurt, but you know that you helped so many people.
Q: What inspires you to give back?
A: Some of the biggest inspirations to me are simply my teachers and my peers! I realize how hard my peers and teachers work and how much we all rely on school supplies to learn. I cannot imagine not having the tools I need to do well in school, and I always remind myself that kids are truly the future, and education is vital to success. Just like Malala Yousafzai once said, “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” If I can collect one more pencil, one more spiral, I hope that I can change the world for one more kid.
Q: Who is your role model?
A: Michelle Obama. The former first lady is such a positive person who cares about everyone, especially women, children and those in poverty. She cares about education and access to equal opportunities for all. She is intelligent and strong and I hope that I can be just like her.
Check back for more changemaker profiles and to read more about #WhoWillYoobi, visit our blog post here.
Are you a changemaker? Submit your bio and a photo of you in action to stories@yoobi.com.
