TEMPE, AZ — A Tempe High School senior is giving back to the early childhood program that helped shape her formative years by organizing a drive for toys, food and classroom supplies.
Gabriella Flores, a 17-year-old senior at Tempe High School and president of the school's Sociedad Honoraria Hispanica club, launched the drive Monday. It benefits Chicanos Por La Causa's Early Childhood Development programs — the same program she attended starting at age 2.
The drive runs through Friday, Sept. 4, accepting new toddler toys, classroom essentials, and nonperishable foods. Donations can be dropped off at Tempe High School's front office.
Flores said she still carries memories from her time in the program — playing with friends, building social skills and learning independence. Those early experiences, she said, are what inspired her to act.
"As we grow older, sometimes we forget about the communities that were there for us when we needed the most help," Flores said. "It's just so important to give back, if we can, to those communities."
Flores' giving spirit extends into her future goals as well, as she plans to study public health and epidemiology in college.
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