LOCAL

Chambersburg teen provides backpacks, school supplies for 70 students

Amber South
Chambersburg Public Opinion
Aaliyah Reynolds took a number of the backpacks to Fayetteville Elementary.

Dozens of Franklin County students will have many of the supplies they need to start school this year thanks to a local teenage philanthropist.

Seventeen-year-old Aaliyah Reynolds set out last month to raise $1,000 and buy backpacks and school supplies for 40 students. 

She not only met her donations goal, but she was able to put together 30 extra backpacks filled with school supplies. 

"I’m so proud of my community to pitch in and help raise funds for this cause!" Reynolds said. "It’s so important to me that kids get a good start to the school year. With all the donations, I exceeded my goal of 40 backpacks and made 70. I’m really glad that I may have made a child really happy."

More:Chambersburg teen spends summer gathering school supplies for kids in need

Aaliyah Reynolds accepts a check for $200 from Regina Mancuso, altruistic chairperson at PA Rho Chapter, the local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization of women educators

She took the backpacks to Franklin County Housing Authority in Chambersburg, Fayetteville Elementary and Falling Spring Elementary. She also gave backpacks to a few people who contacted her. 

Reynolds received $710 in donations through a GoFundMe campaign, and the rest came from direct donations. The local chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa, an international honorary organization of women educators who believe in educational excellence, altruism, and world understanding, gave the teen $200. 

This year's effort far exceeded Reynold's first try last year, when she raised $30 and spent her own money to buy 30 backpacks and the school supplies to fill them. 

Reynolds, who will begin her studies toward becoming a teacher at Penn State this fall, told Public Opinion last month that she hopes to get a classroom one day where she can create a safe space where students can learn and grow, especially if they don't have a great home life. In the meantime, she hopes this project helps bring "some positivity into somebody's day, some positivity into somebody's life." 

More:What you need to know about Chambersburg School District reopening virtually

Students in Chambersburg Area School District will begin the school year with all-virtual instruction due to COVID-19. Students in other area districts will be in classrooms part of the time. 

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.