Giving back: USC sophomore launches effort to help others
Kriti Gupta is pictured with some of the products that will be going into hygiene kits for women in shelters.
Krit Gupta has developed a nonprofit organization intended to help kids.
As a seventh-grade student, Kriti Gupta was tasked with a school project to build a nonprofit organization.
Consider that mission fulfilled with Chance to Change Lives (CCL), the Upper St. Clair sophomore’s idea to combat homelessness and help kids in underfunded schools.
“I’m a person who likes to help people,” Gupta said. “One evening I went into my mom’s room and said, ‘Let’s make this happen.'”
It is happening.
Gupta, 15, realized during the COVID-19 pandemic how fortunate she is. She watched videos depicting how hard others have it. She wanted to help.
“Any help that we can give can help so many lives, and we should always look to help people when we can,” Gupta said.
That led her to create the CCL offshoot – CCL-Kids – which is intended to help children who experience homelessness, as well as elementary school students in underfunded school districts.
“She’s always been interested in working with younger kids,” said her mother, Roma Bala Gupta. “She really has been passionate about working with young kids. That’s been her nature since she was a kid. We’re very thankful that she thinks about others a lot. We feel so blessed that she has this big heart.”
CCL-Kids received a $5,600 boost from Fort Couch Middle School in December, when it was selected as one of four charitable organizations for the school’s annual Reach Out campaign, which raises money for nonprofit organizations.
The money CCL-Kids received will help three volunteer efforts:
- A virtual reading and mentoring initiative;
- A backpack drive to help underfunded schools in the McKeesport Area School District for the upcoming school year;
- The creation of care packages for teenage girls at local shelters and hygiene kits for tweens.
“We’re focusing a lot on education,” Gupta said. “We wanted to do a backpack drive because school supplies are expensive for a lot of parents. We wanted these kids to get the supplies that they need so they could start the school year off really strong.”
McKeesport was selected, as it is a district in which many students come from low-income families. The backpacks are targeted for students at Twin Rivers Elementary School.
Dr. Tia Wanzo, McKeesport Area School District superintendent, said the district is grateful for the helping hand from Gupta.
“We are always appreciative of any type of donations,” Wanzo said. “One of the many things that we focus on at Twin Rivers is the student being ready to learn. In that concept, you’re taking care of all that they need prior to stepping into the classroom. A backpack is another example of a student feeling ready to learn in order to be successful in the classroom.”
Gupta said there will be almost 100 backpacks delivered to Twin Rivers, with any extra available supplies also sent to the school.
“I think it’s a great cause,” said Brandy Daye, principal of Twin Rivers. “She’s thinking about helping students and helping learners prepare for school. I’m super happy and super thankful that she wants to put together a backpack drive initiative to help the students of the McKeesport Area School District. This will definitely take the burden off of our families of having to go out and buy a backpack and school supplies for their children.”
Gupta’s passion for working with young people was key in the virtual reading and mentoring initiative, which she said is still being developed. High school students will offer educational help to kids who may not be able to get it otherwise.
“A lot of these kids can’t get tutoring over the summer,” she said. “I get tutoring over the summer, and it has helped me a lot with my education. I want to give these kids the same opportunity.”
Her mother said that there will be a couple of trial runs during the fall semester.
“The idea is to implement it in the summer, so students don’t undergo the summer slide,” she said. “We’re looking to contribute a couple of hours every week to help these kids.”
Also, 24 hygiene kits that contain feminine hygiene products will be delivered to women in shelters.
“You feel good once you help someone,” Gupta said. “It’s that feeling that you’ve helped someone, and this is going to help them, this is going to affect them in a positive way. I’ve kept that in my mind that I’m super lucky with the life that I have, so I should always help and give back.”