School work has always been an outlet for Scranton Prep junior Annie McIntyre.
“In a world where you can't control everything, academics became her controllable,” mom Kirsten McIntyre said.
To share her love for learning, the 16-year-old collected 60 backpacks filled with school supplies this summer to give to elementary and middle school students across three Lackawanna County school districts.
“Middle school obviously isn't easy for anyone,” Annie said. “I just wanted other kids to be able to get their mind off of everything crazy going on.”
Building backpacks
Annie came up with the idea for her “Build-a-Backpack” drive in March. Dominique Preate, a teacher at Scranton Prep, helped her get started.
She started promoting the project on social media in June, when she began receiving monetary and supply donations. She also set up donation boxes at local businesses and restaurants.
“A lot of family and friends were very gracious and gave some supplies and money for the drive,” Annie said. “It was just awesome having so many people grouping together to support others.”
In addition to the 60 backpacks, Annie collected hundreds of pencils, pens, notebooks, highlighters, crayons, erasers, glue sticks, pencil sharpeners, scissors, rulers, markers and other items.
“We donated them to three local districts and seven schools, which was pretty awesome, in hopes that everyone can go back to school with everything they need,” she said.
The supplies went to the Dunmore, Riverside and Scranton districts’ elementary and middle schools.
Lisa Owens, principal of Scranton’s Charles Sumner Elementary School, said the backpacks filled with supplies that were donated to the school were clearly assembled with “a great deal of thought and care.”
“She went above and beyond by organizing and labeling the backpacks with supplies that were appropriate for different age groups and genders,” Owens said. “Our students were so excited to receive the backpacks and supplies, and it was wonderful to see their smiles and appreciation.”
Charles Sumner Elementary School is grateful for Annie's kindness and generosity, Owens said.
“Her project not only provided our students with much-needed school supplies, but also showed them that members of their community care about them and want to support their success,” she said.
McIntyre said her daughter hopes other children, having the necessary supplies, will find confidence through school, as her daughter has.
“She's always reading that a child who is in a good state of mind is a child who's ready to succeed,” McIntyre said. “I think it just became something that was very important for her — with younger children, especially — to make sure they felt prepared so that they can attack academics in the same way she did.”
In addition to the backpacks, Annie assembled and donated four “Kindness Karts,” which are carts with school supplies students can take if they pay it forward by completing an act of kindness.
“This is my first time ever doing something like this,” she said. “I learned a lot, which was great.”
A 'generosity gene'
Although this is Annie’s first major independent service project, her mother said she’s always had a “generosity gene” and is commonly volunteering, donating and fundraising.
As a young girl, she asked her parents to help send pizzas to nurses working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She's just a very, very caring individual, and I think, honestly, it is just innate in her to want to make the people around her better, do better, be better, do more,” McIntyre said.
Annie is already planning her next community service project, after having just completed her school supply drive — and while balancing soccer, lacrosse and her involvement with her school’s Cupcake Club, Medical Club, Community Builders Club and Morgan's Message Club, which seeks to end the stigma around mental health issues for among student athletes.
Next year she hopes to hold a drive for summer safety supplies, like sunscreen. She said she’ll take the knowledge she gained from this project to her next one.
“It'll definitely be a lot easier just to get things started,” she said. “I'm really excited for that.”
McIntyre said since Annie started her project, other students have reached out to her requesting help starting service projects of their own.
“I think that's kind of the intent of things like this. If everybody did something more every day to help one another, I think everything would just be better in the world," she said. "Kindness is contagious.”
