LEAP MDUSD was awarded the 2021 Call for Kindness Fellowship by the Riley's Way Foundation! We are beyond grateful that our project is 1 of 30 that Riley's Way selected from a pool of 200. With this award, LEAP will be receiving $3,000 to put into an essential supply drive for Homeless and Foster Youth Students in Mount Diablo Unified School District. To see the list of all 30 winners, please click here.
I would now like to take this time to tell the story of The Riley's Way Foundation.
In 2013, 9 year old Riley Hannah Sandler was at a sleep away camp in Central New York. The day before she was supposed to come home, the camp called the parents of Riley, Ian and Mackenzie Sandler, to inform them that they needed to get up there as quickly as possible. Ian and Mackenzie took a 4 hour Uber ride to the camp, but by the time they had got there, they were informed that Riley had passed away. Riley's parents were told that she had a very rare incident called Epiglottitis, which is the inflammation of the throat area. As soon as it happened, Ian and Mackenzie knew they had to get their story out online which eventually birthed the foundation. the story they want to tell is less about what happened to Riley, but more about the wonderful person that she was. Their foundation envisions a future where young leaders use kindness, empathy, leadership, and connection building to bring changes within their community. The Riley's Way Foundation hosts a Youth Leadership Retreat, where they bring together inspirational young women from around the country to participate in skill building workshops, as well as what they call the "Riley's Way Program" which provides grants to New York Elementary Schools to allow them to focus on social and emotional learning for both students and teachers. For more information about The Riley's Way Foundation, please visit their website at: https://www.rileysway.org
I want to again thank the Riley's Way Foundation for empowering so many young people to see life "Riley's Way". I also want to sincerely thank all of the LEAP tutors as well as Dr. Adelaide Nzeusseu, Vicky Conerly, Kimberly Hendrick, Mrs. Cherise Khaund, and all MDUSD educators and staff for all of the support that you provide for our program; without you, none of this would have been possible.
- Seena Farhadi