Delco Teen Donates 500 Backpacks, School Supplies to Philly Students

Let it be known that there is good in Delaware County, no matter what anybody else says. Just ask Jillian Hughes, 15, a Radnor High School student who pulled up outside the Andrew Jackson School yesterday to hand out about 500 backpacks filled with new school supplies to students.

Hughes charity comes in the midst of the Philadelphia School District’s $304 million budget deficit, which left schools understaffed, overcrowded and lacking funding. So where’d she get the idea? Why, the Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice, of course:

“One of my favorite football players, Baltimore Raven Ray Rice, has a program for students in Maryland. I wanted to bring a program like that to Philadelphia. I reached out to to Mr. Rice and he put me in touch with (former Philadelphia Eagle) Brian Westbrook and he gave me a generous donation to the cause,” said Hughes.

She Googled area schools for awhile before settling on the Andrew Jackson School, using her Supplies for Success charity to obtain the number of bags she needed. Westbrook, in fact, donated 250 bags himself.

The school district, though, is still unfortunately trying to resolve its budget woes and facing even more trouble. Meanwhile, 495 kids got laced up with new school gear, and it took a teenager from the ‘burbs to show us what they mean when schools say they need their communities. [NBC]