High school student starts service to distribute COVID-19 test kits
Out of his family’s house in Erie, 16-year-old Centaurus High School student Kenner Galdamez Sosa is making a big difference in his community.
It began last month when his two brothers started showing flulike symptoms. Worried that they could have COVID-19 and potentially spread the virus to at-risk family members, Galdamez Sosa knew that they had to get tested.
“My brothers had bad experiences with COVID-19 testing in the past and I wanted to make sure that they would take a test,” Galdamez Sosa said. “I researched and found that the Abbott Binaxnow tests were self-administered and only had to go up less than an inch in each nostril.
“I went to my local pharmacy and they had the kits in stock; however, I was shocked by the high price. I bought two test kits anyway, asking myself why these test kits were difficult to find and expensive.”
Galdamez Sosa is now working to make sure COVID-19 test kits are accessible to everyone in his community by creating his own test kit distribution service called Bumblebasket.
Through this service, Galdamez Sosa is giving out free COVID-19 test kits donated by the state health department to families and individuals living in Boulder County, Broomfield County and other surrounding areas, ensuring that community members can catch the virus early before spreading it to others.
“I thought that maybe if I distributed these kits to families directly, testing would be so easy that they could give themselves the test and have results within minutes instead of having to go through the process of setting up an appointment and having to wait for the results. Then they can catch the infection that they have more quickly and prevent the spread of COVID to others,” Galdamez Sosa said.
Starting small distributions at his church, Galdamez Sosa said that he has delivered more than 3,400 test kits to more than 185 families since June.
Packaging and delivering the kits to people at his own expense, the teen said he’s someone who enjoys helping others.
“It feels good and everyone is really thankful,” Galdamez Sosa said.
“We distribute about four tests per member in each household, so they have a bunch to use or even share with their neighbors, friends or family.
“I really like the idea of making people feel better.”
Mainly a one-man job, Galdamez Sosa said he will occasionally ask for his brothers’ help to be sure he gets deliveries done on time. He said if someone fills out an order online by 6 p.m., he will get the kits to them the same day.
“I was shocked that so many people were interested,” said Galdamez Sosa. “The first day I delivered I went to church and brought a whole bunch of bags to give to everyone and it grew pretty quickly.
“I posted the order form on multiple social media platforms and immediately within 30 minutes I had three orders, then five, six, seven. The first day I had like eight orders total and it’s just expanded since then.”
The kit ordering process is quick and easy, Galdamez Sosa said.
Community members will fill out an online form with their information and number of household members, and Galdamez Sosa will get to work. He’ll package the kits with labels and notes with instructions and begin making deliveries later in the day.
Throughout the delivery process, automated text messages are sent out with updates on the person’s order. An email is sent after the delivery with information and a video on how to use the test kits, he said.
“I’ve been messing around with technology ever since I was little,” Galdamez Sosa said.
While being tech savvy, Galdamez Sosa said he would love to pursue a career in medicine down the line but doesn’t know which field. Once school starts again, he said he will move from daily deliveries to weekly if the need is still present.
“It puts a smile on my face knowing that I have a part in preventing the spread of COVID here in Colorado,” Galdamez Sosa said.