Achieve’s NJHS partnered with Empower Care to collect and donate winter coats, clothes, and food. The drive lasted four weeks, and the Achieve community donated nearly 2,500 items. These donations directly impacted and supported the University of Michigan Student-Run Free Clinic, Wolverine Street Medicine, Spartan Street Medicine, the Robert R. Frank Student-Run Free Clinic (Wayne State University), and Hope Clinic.
Middle School Math Teacher Laura Barker leads Achieve’s NJHS and said the experience was meaningful for her students.
“It was really, really great,” Barker said. “We got so many donations, we were able to spread them out to different organizations in our community. Students saw the difference we were making.”
The campaign thrived with the partnership of Sai Tallapally and Andrea Zou. The pair teamed up to start Empower Care, a nonprofit dedicated to health equity advocacy and providing community members health care resources. Zou said her parents’ experience in the health care system was an inspiration for starting the organization. She added that the goal of working with NJHS scholars was to offer a connection point to the mission of the work they put in.
“I wanted them to realize they can be a part of something bigger than themselves,” Zou said. “It was really powerful to see the things a school and community can do when they come together and put their minds to it. When people come together, you can get a lot done and create a lot of impact.”
Tallapally and Zou are currently in high school but carry with them the knowledge and character that comes from the NHA experience. Zou graduated from Achieve, and Tallapally attended Plymouth Scholars until third grade. The tandem was a wealth of knowledge for Achieve’s NJHS scholars.
“It helped them to see not only former NHA students, but also current high school students help lead this kind of campaign,” Barker said. “It was eye-opening because they saw high school students being super active in their community.”
While the impact of the drive was felt by community members and participants, it left a mark on its organizers, too.
Tallapally shared a story of picking up donations and realizing how much his work impacted Achieve’s school community.
“The last time I was there, there were a ton of kids leaving the school,” Tallapally said. “One little kid came up to me and asked about the donations. I told him what we were doing and how we were helping, and I complimented his earrings. I remember when I walked away, I heard his mom say, ‘You can do this, too.’
“I was only thinking about the impact we were going to make for patients. I didn’t even realize this could impact the kids as well.”
Great work, Achieve NJHS! Keep making an impact on your community!
Achieve Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Canton, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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