Physical Therapy Students Donate Backpacks, Raise Funds, for Underserved Youth

When Bay Area schools open their doors later this month, some students will walk into classrooms with new backpacks loaded with the basic supplies – pencils, paper, rulers – that were donated by students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Samuel Merritt University (SMU).

Earlier this summer, SMU students Xiomara Rayo and Kyle Hartman helped organize a backpack drive on the Oakland campus, which resulted in 62 donated backpacks that will be delivered to underserved school kids in Alameda County. 

An additional $1,400 was raised in online donations, just shy of the student’s $1,500 goal.

The deadline for the fundraising campaign is Friday and donations can be made at: http://fundraise.familygivingtree.org/SMUDPT

Now that the backpacks are filled, the students will deliver them to the Family Giving Tree in Sunnyvale, where the non-profit will sort and redistribute the bags to the kids who need them most.

“Alameda County is a county where kids need help,” Rayo said. “This is our community and we recognize the importance of giving them a chance to succeed. And who knows, maybe one day some of them will become physical therapists too. "

Hartman said as students enrolled in a three-year doctoral program, just having the basic supplies can improve the learning process. 

“We’re life-long learners,” Hartman said. “It makes sense to give back to kids in our community, and be supportive of their education.”