Florida Students Raise $100,000 For Their Homeless Peers

UPDATE: Oct. 4 ― On Tuesday, I’m A Star teens presented a $35,000 check to Duval County Public Schools, marking a milestone of $100,000 in total money raised for homeless students since 2013.

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Teens in Jacksonville, Florida, are making leaps and bounds to ensure their peers have equal access to education.

Kids ages 12-18 are working with the non-profit I’m A Star Foundation to improve the conditions of the city’s homeless students. So far, they’ve raise about $57,000 and donated 14 scholarships to their peers.

About 2,700 students in Jacksonville are homeless. In the 1-minute video above, students who’ve benefited from I’m A Star Foundation talk about their experiences before and after receiving their support.

One student, Sabon, recalls being homeless and having to lug his books around while walking the streets.

“I received $2,000 and now I am a college student studying highway and transportation engineering,” he said.

Through I’m A Star Foundation, 35 middle school and high school student leaders from Duval County volunteer their weekends to strategize ways to improve their communities each year. Through the years, students have organized 5K walks, phone-a-thons and celebrity basketball games to raise money for underprivileged youth.

Their next fundraiser will be a celebrity basketball game taking place on July 22. The funds goes to helping students afford school supplies, bus passes, uniforms and more.

Learn more about I’m A Star Foundation here and donate to their GoFundMe here.