BY EMMA PLANK
Community is everything, at least to the founders of Save The Kids.
President Chris Crawford, Vice-President Holly Linenberger and Treasurer Ryan Jensen are three Fort Hays students with hearts of gold. On Tuesday, Save the Kids had its first meeting. At this meeting, students gathered to fill backpacks with healthy snacks, water, and a few fun things to give back to younger children in the Hays community who are a part of lower-income families.
Talking with the three students, they all had one similar goal: to give back to the communities that gave to them.
“Short-term, we’d like to grow this organization and get more students on campus for local families,” Crawford said. “Long-term, our goal is to hopefully one day spread the organization out on a national level.”
According to Linenberger, Crawford was the one who initially reached out to both her and Jensen, and asked if they wanted to be a part of this group. These three, all from different walks of life, and different experiences have come together to form a beautiful testament of humanity, Save the Kids.
The children receiving these backpacks will be the first of many, as the meetings they have planned for the rest of the year only plan to get bigger and bigger with more student involvement.
Growing up in a situation where some basic needs weren’t always met helped prompt Crawford to start Save the Kids.
“I myself grew up in a pretty low-income family, and I want to give back to those who helped me,” Crawford said.
Crawford has taken the opportunities provided to him and has made the most out of them. He is currently a senior Pre-med major, and his dream includes going to medical school to become a general surgeon.
After talking with these three students, it is clear the dreams they have will not go unanswered. Already, they are beginning to build this foundation into something amazing, and they have not a single doubt in their minds it will continue to grow.
