An Oklahoma teen spent last Saturday giving away 6-thousand book bags filled with school supplies. This was 18-year-old Reed Marcum’s annual Back-to-School Book Bag Giveaway, which has distributed over 33-thousand backpacks and $1.3-million in school supplies across Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas in the nine years he’s been holding the event. He hopes his program will help kids start the school year right.
Reed, a sophomore at Oklahoma State University, comes to his commitment to community service through his longtime membership in 4-H, an American youth organization. His annual service project has earned him the 4-H Youth in Action Award for raising more than $3.5-million in funds and donated items. As a national winner, he received a $5-thousand scholarship as well as opportunities to develop professional skills and network with prominent 4-H alumni.
In addition to the backpack giveaways, Reed also organizes an annual 4-H Toy Giveaway. Last year, cars lined up for over three miles as the teen distributed more than 10-thousand toys to children in need. The teen expressed gratitude to 4-H for helping him to make a difference in his community.