VSU Enactus, Heart2Heart Collecting School Supplies Nov. 9-18

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University Enactus and Heart2Heart are once again collecting school supplies for community elementary and middle school students.

Donations may be dropped off at Thaxton Hall Room 203 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. today; 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10; 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11; 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16; 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 17; and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18. 

“VSU Enactus and Heart2Heart recognize the need students may have in the middle of the school year when they are not receiving as many school supplies as they may have in the beginning of the year,” said Alison Mgbeke, VSU Enactus president. “Being able to give the students the opportunity to succeed in the classroom with the right supplies allows for greater success during the school year.”

During the 2015 fall semester, VSU Enactus and Heart2Heart partnered with the Lowndes Drug Action Council (LODAC) Inc. to ensure every elementary and middle school student has the materials needed to be successful throughout the academic year.  Together they formed LODAC’s Closet to help serve community students and teachers who need assistance.

The LODAC’s Closet wish list includes index cards, colored copy paper, notebook paper, dry erase markers, colored markers, electric pencil sharpeners, paper cutters, belts for young boys, scissors, pens, rulers, three-inch ring binders, safety scissors, dividers, disinfectant spray and wipes, tissues, hand sanitizer, pencils, paper towels, glue sticks, colored paper, copy paper, folders, first aid supplies, composition notebooks, and trifold boards.  

“I feel so fortunate to be in a position to help give back to our children through LODAC,” said Keona Hill, vice president of VSU Enactus.

Enactus is an international organization that connects student, academic, and business leaders through entrepreneurial-based projects that empower people to transform opportunities into real, sustainable progress for themselves and their communities.

Guided by academic advisors and business experts, the student leaders of Enactus create and implement entrepreneurial projects around the globe. The experience not only changes lives, but it also helps students develop the kind of talent and perspective that are essential to leadership in an ever-more complicated and challenging world.

VSU Enactus students are currently working to inspire and motivate young women at the Methodist Home for Children and Youth to realize their dreams for the future; help homeless men and women learn budget, life, time management, money management, interview, computer, resume, and cover letter skills at Lowndes Associated Ministries to People Inc.; end poverty by building a hydroponics and aquaponics greenhouse out of recycled two-liter bottles; mentor children between the ages of 4 and 15 at Hudson Dockett Housing Authority; teach music, art, internet research, science, mathematics, and more to children between the ages of 5 and 15 at Ora Lee West Housing Authority; introduce students at S.L. Mason Elementary School to the power of recycling; guide after-school students at the Boys and Girls Club through a series of fun, hands-on activities designed to teach them about the importance of recycling, money management skills, and basic economic principles; and empower women in Kenya to achieve success through the management of a poultry business.

Heart2Heart is an organization dedicated to bettering the community by mentoring to local youth. Founded in January 2008, its mission is to foster the spiritual, intellectual, physical, personal, and social growth of young individuals through various activities, workshops, programs, and recreation.

Contact Alison Mgbeke at anmgbeke@valdosta.edu or Keona Hill at knhill@valdosta.edu to learn more.