5th grade Math teacher Ms. Figueroa and her family organized a fundraiser and backpack drive initiative, Fundación Asistiendo Estudiantes Dominicanos – Faedom to deliver 420 backpacks filled with essential school supplies to students in rural communities throughout Villa Mella, San Juan and Elias Piña, Domican Republic. Over 50 donors, including several Latin teachers, participated this year this year and they were able to deliver 100 more backpacks than last summer! Ms. Figueroa’s parents are from the rural towns of San Juan and Elias Pina, Dominican Republic which borders Haiti. Their family started this initiative in 2017 after noticing many middle school students carrying their supplies in plastic bags on their way to school. In 2018, her family purchased 200 backpacks, filled them with school supplies and delivered them to these two schools in Elias Pina. In 2019 they decided to fundraise for this initiative in order to deliver 320 backpacks.