4 Riverside Alumni create The Backpack Fund charity

How many people does it take to enact change and help others?

For one group, in particular, the number is four.

The Backpack Fund was started by Riverside alumni Matt Parsons, Caleb Valko, Noah Levy and Charlie Ringer not only to donate school supplies but award a scholarship in honor of Emily Ringler, Charlie’s sister.

Emily was a Riverside graduate who battled bone cancer before dying last year at age 20. She was known for her positivity among her peers, and had a passion for helping others and was on her way to becoming a nurse before her diagnosis.

“She was a helper,” her mother Jennifer said.

“It’s bittersweet, as a father, no one wants to see their child’s name on a memorial scholarship, but I am so proud these young men that established this fund and knowing that it’s going to have a positive impact on the students from Lake County, I think is the only thing a father can ask for in this situation,” her father Charles added. “It means a great deal to me.”

The Backpack Fund was launched last month.

“Our president, Matt, came up with the idea and had initiated contact with Riverside to get the school on board with our mission,” said Valko.

Their mission is to support students in their education.

They understand that not everyone has the same access to classroom materials. As a community, the charity believes in working together to make sure all students feel like they can fit in and be engaged with their education.

“As former students of the Riverside Local School District, we understand the importance of education, especially during childhood,” Valko said. “As such, we believe students need to have adequate supplies in the classroom in order to fit in and feel supported by their school.”

Their project is based around the community they serve. In only a short time, residents and community members have donated over $4,500.

The Backpack Fund is still in the early process of fundraising. Their goal is to raise $20,000, which they estimate would get a backpack full of supplies for at least 500 students while still having funds to award at least one or a few scholarships valued at $1,000.

With the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers say they are taking every precaution for the safety of their community with their distributions.

“One advantage of the recent launch is that COVID has been in play from the start,” Valko said. “As such, we have planned the distribution of school supplies to minimize contact among members receiving school supplies.

“We will prepare backpacks full of the necessary supplies based on the grade level and recommended supply list (sent to us by Riverside), making sure to wear gloves and use a spray disinfectant on any materials being distributed,” he added. “On top of that, we will have a team member make sure that families/ students picking up supplies are properly distanced from each other.”

The organization is looking to the future with longevity in mind. They hope to continue to award the Emily Ringler Memorial Scholarship yearly and work directly with schools in the area to make sure their graduating classes know to apply.

Eventually, they want to expand their distributive reach to Lake County as a whole, supporting hundreds to thousands more students and families in the area.

“We are only a group of four students, and our reach, although bolstered by community support and social media, is limited,” Valko said. “We would love for our mission to reach as many people in Lake County as possible because our goals do not just stop at Riverside.”