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Kaley Reedy, an eighth-grade student at Hazelwood Northwest Middle School, is leading a school-wide clothing and personal hygiene drive to donate to Hopeville, a homeless community in St. Louis.

Kaley Reedy, an eighth-grade student at Hazelwood Northwest Middle School, is determined to make a difference in the lives of people living in Hopeville, a homeless community in St. Louis. With support from school leaders and classmates, she is holding a clothing and personal hygiene drive.
Last winter, Reedy and her soccer team participated in a food and clothing drive for Hopeville. The team, along with parent chaperones, delivered the donations to a warehouse that would in turn distribute them to community members. Once they arrived, they were unexpectedly given the chance to visit Hopeville.
“I had mixed emotions about seeing Hopeville,” said Reedy. “You see people on the street but you don’t know anything about them. I was scared, nervous and joyful to see what our efforts were going toward.”
“It was an awakening view to picture what they go through,” she continued. “We went into a home and when I walked in, it was basically just wood for walls and blankets for insulation. He told us that he had been a regular person and lost his job. He told us that ‘things fade away.’”
Reedy talked to her parents that same night and said she wanted to help. Since she’s involved in Student Council, her parents suggested that it might be an option. She approached her school principal, Willicia Hobbs, for guidance.
With support from Hobbs and school leaders, Reedy’s campaign took off. She wrote a story about Hopeville for the school’s Parent Teacher Association, and she created a PowerPoint to present in classrooms school-wide. Copies of flyers to remind students of the drive are posted on doors, lockers and walls, and announcements are made each morning. A storage closet on the second-floor is filled with bags and boxes of donations. A nearby storage company also donated space to store the items.
“Things just started to fall into place,” said Reedy. “We’ve collected a large amount of clothes and hygiene products and some money.”
The donation drive will continue through the end of April.
“I feel like a lot of kids have been awakened as to what they have in life. These people don’t have anything. I think I’ve changed a few lives for people in Hopeville and kids at school by what we’re giving to others and showing kids what people go through,” said Reedy.
“There’s always hope in Hopeville is my overall motto for the project,” she said.
“When Kaley brought this project to us we were more than willing to help. She met with our PTA and our leadership team,” said Hobbs We agreed that this is a project that would support our school’s mission. It allows our students and staff to participate.
“The idea of giving hope to the people in the Hopeville community is wonderful,” said Hobbs. “Kaley is what I call ‘talented’ beyond her years.” (story courtesy of the Hazelwood District Communications Dept.)

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