January 8, 2023
Written by: Donovan Luo
Revised by: Stephanie Sun
Over the past year Building Bridges has exponentially grown, tripling our members and the amount of classes we offer. In order to help the community, Building Bridges assisted in DECA’s Crayon Initiative. The Crayon Initiative is a non-profit organization that repurposes old crayons to be sent to over 240 pediatric hospitals across the country. By reusing thousands of crayons, the Crayon Initiative is able to mitigate pollution and provide a source of happiness for pediatric patients. Building Bridges’ heavy participation in this event was our way of giving back to the community.
Over 500,000 pounds of crayons are discarded throughout the country, equating to roughly 60 million crayons per year. These crayons are made of petroleum, which is toxic to the environment, and they don’t biodegrade when they get to the landfills. In addition to preventing harmful substances from impacting the environment, the organization succeeds at providing a way for pediatric hospital patients to reconnect with their youth and find light in the midst of hard times.
During the weeks of the Crayon Initiative members of Building Bridges actively reached out to their communities, raising more and more support for the cause. Although the event mainly took place on the campus grounds of Lambert High School, Building Bridges brought in additional support from other schools. For instance, members of the Building Bridges Westminster chapter gathered the aid of their fellow peers, sending additional boxes of crayons to Lambert. Overall, the Crayon Initiative demonstrated Building Bridges’ capability to lend its help to other organizations and causes. In the future Building Bridges is looking forward to working more and more with other clubs, non-profits, and communities to better the world.
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