Toll Gate student collects 1,000 books for African library project

Kelcy Dolan
Posted 3/31/15

More than 1,000 books are on their way to southern Africa thanks to the efforts of Lindsay Russell. And in recognition of her charitable work the Metta Students Foundation awarded her a $1,000 check …

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Toll Gate student collects 1,000 books for African library project

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More than 1,000 books are on their way to southern Africa thanks to the efforts of Lindsay Russell. And in recognition of her charitable work the Metta Students Foundation awarded her a $1,000 check on Thursday.

Last year, Russell began the Gender Equality Club at Toll Gate. Members discuss political, global and local issues of race, gender and inequality, but they wanted to do more. The club took on a community service project. Russell picked the African Library Project. With donations of children’s books the project builds libraries in southern Africa, where children would not have access to books.

The club quickly collected the books and the $500 it would take to ship them to Swaziland, where a new library will service about 300 boys and girls.

Russell said, “We really looked at what gender inequality is and we pinpointed education and we wanted to incorporate that in our community service project.”

Erin Woulfe, a teacher at Toll Gate, recognized the work and nominated Russell for a Metta Students award.

“All her work is about equality and compassion, making sure there are opportunities to those who have very few,” Woulfe said.

The Metta Students Foundation is a local non-profit that awards high school students $1,000 grants for “random acts of kindness and love.”

The foundation was started in 2012 by Norm Kelly after hearing about two Rhode Island students and their incredible story about prom night.

When a male student with cerebral palsy didn’t have a date to his prom, despite not knowing him, another Rhode Island student offered to be his date. Then the school rallied to vote the young man prom king.

Kelly said, “Metta means love and kindness, and we are proud to be able to give recognition to all of those bright lights who give back, not because they have to but because they are truly good-hearted and was to make a difference.” The foundation has given out $23,000 to date.

Woulfe said she is usually apprehensive to nominate students for awards because the pool of applicants is typically so large; however, when she learned about Metta and that they awarded local students, “Lindsay was the first person [she] thought of.”

On Thursday, Kelly visited Lindsay at school and awarded her the check for $1,000 in front of her classmates.

Principal Stephen Chrabaszcz said, “I believe in taking chances on kids. I am proud Lindsay is in my school and I’m happy to say many of our students show the same signs of charity.”

Kelly praised Russell for her efforts especially and how many lives her project will touch.

“Fifty-three million children across the globe are not enrolled in any type of schooling. When you think of that number it is staggering. This effort is changing the lives of 300 kids and that is pretty cool stuff,” Kelly said.

Kelly encouraged the students saying the foundation would be happy to return to award other students for their charitable works.

Russell’s father, George Russell, was also present for the short ceremony and said he was very proud of his daughter, but wasn’t surprised she won the award.

He said, “She has been a special girl since she was five. Everything she does she excels at. She works hard at home at school and at work. All of her role models are strong and professional women and she has her eyes on the long-term goals.”

Russell said a lot of her inspiration for the club and the book drive came from Emma Watson’s ‘He for She’ campaign that tries to unify efforts for gender equality across the globe addressing the necessity of men to stand up.

Russell said she is looking to put the $1,000 into her college fund. Although she is still a junior, she is looking to study political science before getting a law degree and working for human rights.

She said, “I was thrilled when they told me I didn’t really understand that I had won.”

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