Traveling through their hometown and the city of Colosa, they eagerly wait for their cousin to be dismissed from the lengthy hours of the school day. However, as senior Valerie Glen and her sister Valentina watched kids rush through the front doors, the happiness of welcoming their cousin back was short-lived. After watching dozens of students leave school without even a pencil or paper in hand, the sisters were faced with the harsh reality of the role that money plays in education. 

After first noticing this issue on a trip to Colombia, Valerie and Valentina Glen decided to make a difference in their hometown through The Colombia School Supply Drive. According to Valerie, they “host to collect new and gently used school supplies to be donated to kids in low-income areas of Columbia.” Through recent years, the drive has been shared throughout the school and has received generous donations from students at PPCHS.

As an economic crisis is currently spreading throughout Colombia, the privilege of going to school is never taken for granted. “In Columbia, schooling isn’t free. You have to pay to go to school, and those that are free [are] very poor in education,” says Valentina. Their trip served as a wake-up call to assist their hometown in need. Immediately upon their return, both sisters decided to start their own drive. 

Through the Columbia School Supply Drive, the Glens are able to support those in need. By collecting various donations from their community, such as composition notebooks, pencils, coloring supplies, backpacks, and more, they then donate them to schools in Colombia. Valerie explains, “We try to help at least two schools a year. Sometimes we go and repeat schools because sometimes we didn’t have enough supplies for them the first time.”

Over the years that the pair has been doing the drive, they have gained several partnerships to help their cause. With the assistance of the company Dalsey Hillblom Lynn (DHL) and a university in Colombia, they were able to bring even more to the drive. According to Valerie, “[their partnerships] help with donations such as textbooks, computers, [and] with shipping and transportation of things.” With the assistance of these companies, the Glen sisters are able to provide aid to those in need in other areas.

Future plans for the Columbia Drive entail expanding out to additional cities that are in need in Colombia, such as Barranquilla. As of now, the sisters have future goals to transform the drive into a non-profit organization where they can provide aid to as many people as they can. “Columbia opened our eyes to how the world is different, and everyone is not as lucky as you might be or someone with a high income. We just want to help people in this situation,” says Valentina.