These Tennessee high school students collected 10,000 face masks to help those who can't afford them.
Ben Beard is a senior high school student from Independence High School who has been quite a busy teen in the last two years, apart from his studies, Williamson Herald noted. From launching a lawn care business, maintaining an e-commerce site that supports local crafters, to participating in internship programs, and doing volunteer work. Still, Beard wanted to do more.
Not to impress but to really make a difference
Beard said it was kind of difficult to find an opportunity that really allowed him to make a difference instead of just completing hours of community service for his college applications. When the pandemic hit, he knew that it is the perfect opportunity to start a worthwhile project.
He told Good News Network that he acknowledges that a mandatory mask mandate is necessary to protect everyone for COVID-19. However, he felt that now everyone has the means to buy masks, especially during these trying times.
It was then that Beard learned about Mask Now TN. The volunteer organization aims to distribute masks to essential workers and underprivileged families. Beard then began asking for mask donations to help with the effort. While he did manage to get some donations, he realized that many just don't have time to go out of their way to buy masks to donate.
Many want to help, but not all have the time
Beard thought that maybe a change in strategy could bring in better results, so he thought of buying the masks himself. All he needs to do is leverage his connections, time, and resources to ask and collect monetary donations.
He told Williamson Herald that he had many connections through the couple of internships he has done. Thus, he took advantage of those connections to ask for donations. He and friend, Ty Anderson, also coupled that effort with social media ads to reach a wider audience.
Hence, they received a lot of donations, even from those people they have not met before. It was enough for him to think that many people out there wanted to help; it just that not all of them have the time.
Beard, Anderson, and other fellow students took one month and a half organizing and brainstorming with Mask Now TN's help. Another three weeks more and the group of teens accomplishes their goal of collecting 10,000 masks. Andrew, Ben's younger brother, said that focusing on helping others in need instead of their own problem has been an empowering experience for them.
If your intentions are good, don't get discouraged
When asked by Good News Network about their biggest obstacle in this project, Anderson said it was building trust. So what they did was to send regular email updates to their donors about the masks' purchase and delivery. This way, they assured donors that their money is being spent for what they intended it.
Beard said that starting a project will be daunting at first, especially for a teenager. However, like any other endeavor, you would eventually overcome the initial challenges. The important thing is not to be discouraged because people will get behind you as long as you have genuine intentions to help your community.
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