RIVERDALE, NY - As parents scurry around to the big box stores to get last minute school supplies for their children, student leaders from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, came together to hold the inaugural "Back to School Supply" drive. The drive donated school supplies to the Mount Carmel School in the Belmont section of the Bronx.
 
Andrew Curiel '18 and Francisco 'Neeko' Zeno '18, college roommates and co-founders of the Be You Stay True Program (BYST) which focuses on positive youth development through fundamental basketball instruction, decided to start this initiative with the help of Kelly Gibison '18, Vice President of the CMSV Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
                                                      
Ms. Gibison, along with the help of her fellow SAAC Executive Board members, Patsy Sewell '19, Emily Ott '19, Kelsey Wasnesky '18, and Tim Beck  '18 sought to help those students and families in need.
 
In total, BYST and CMSV SAAC collected supplies and book bags from their fellow Mount classmates, friends, and families to give 35 students at the Mount Carmel school the supplies they will need to have a successful school year.
 
The initiative hits close to home for Mr. Curiel, because the school they are donating to is for a former teacher/mentor of his, Mr. Frank Iurilli. "Mr. I," as his students call him, is an educator at St. Helena's School in the Bronx the elementary alma mater of Mr. Curiel. "Mr. I" teaches various subjects and was someone who stayed close to Mr. Curiel during his high school years as a father-figure
 
"Mr. I always kept me in check, he always made sure I was okay with my school work, basketball, and at home," said Mr. Curiel. "He obviously cared about me doing well in school, but he went above and beyond to make sure I was good, which was cool because he was one of the few teachers to do that for me."
 
This is the was the inaugural "Back To School Supply" drive and thanks to BYST and CMSV SAAC, these student leaders are seeking to show the importance of giving back to the communities that helped shape them.
 
"It doesn't take a big corporation to make a difference in the world," said Mr. Zeno. "All of us has that capability, and all it takes is an open mind and an open heart."