Rightfully: Seeking equal education access for all
Five OH freshman students recently launched their own nonprofit organization, Rightfully, to promote equal education opportunities for all students. The nonprofit’s focus on developing the next generation’s potential is reflected perfectly in its slogan, “Investing in tomorrow’s leaders.”
Rightfully’s main goal is to raise funds to donate to charity or directly to the SD#308 school board. The funds will be allocated to clubs and organizations, giving opportunities to students facing financial hardships. From field trips to club fees, materials, and more, enrichment opportunities can be costly, and may not be accessible to every student.
“For our first bake sale, we are sort of keeping the money right now. We’re going to have three major bake sales a year: one in the fall, one in the winter, one in the summer,” said OH freshman and Rightfully’s President Jia Nair. “During our fall and winter bake sales, we are donating all the money to charities that support kids or directly to the school,” she said.
So far, the group has raised $100 in donations from their October bake sale but have been meeting since August to discuss more events.
The dynamic group is made up of five friends who want to make an impact in their community. Joining Nair in this group of young leaders is Aubyn Holtz as vice president, Vienna Lacovella as treasurer, Abby Valien as a producer and supplier, and Simone Griggs as the TikTok manager.
“I really feel like this has a nice impact on me because it’s really showing me independent skills and how to run a club on your own even just in the community, it’s nice to get out. There are probably so many people out there who are really [education-oriented] but they can’t afford it,” said Griggs.
Their next endeavor is still in the making, but they hope to organize a raffle in December through the community. They also have special plans for their summer fundraisers.
“We baked everything and because it was our first sale, and we don’t have a lot of people on Instagram or a huge fan base, I would say it’s a pretty big achievement,” said Nair. “For our summer bake sale, we’re gonna spend the majority of the money purchasing school supplies and do a school supplies drive as well,” she added.
Erin Holtz—Aubyn Holtz’s mother and OH English teacher—and Patricia Lobo—Nair’s mother—are sponsoring the nonprofit.
“I’m a supportive parent, so I will help her with transportation, logistics, and the like, obviously. I have a friend who works in nonprofits that I am encouraging Jia and Aubyn to meet with about a best path forward. I’m proud that they value and care so deeply about access to education and that they want to help others,” said Erin Holtz.
Being in such a commitment-heavy community service organization will have profound impacts on not only the community but also the members themselves. Each member is excited about the future of the organization and how they can expand.
“Jia Nair has leadership skills and a drive to help others succeed. Simone Griggs is creative and innovative. Aubyn Holtz is mature and kind, always eager to do what’s right. Vienna Lacovella is calculated and is sure to make sure everything runs smoothly. Lastly, Abby Valien is lively, keeping the organization fun and in high spirits,” said Lobo.
The organization runs independently on the motivation and passion of its members. Everyone involved has to take the initiative to keep things running smoothly.
“It’s really nice to be able to want to do it because it’s a lot more freeing to just want to help people out, and I feel like that intention really goes into what we do because us being able to want this opportunity gives other people opportunities,” said Lacovella.
Hello! I'm Fionnuala Quinn. I'm currently a senior at OHS and this is my third year of journalism. Apart from journalism, I am involved in Cross Country, Track and Field, Best Buddies, and horticulture club. I'm so thrilled to serve as EIC this year!
