Granby Memorial Students' Clothing, Bike Drive a Success

By 1 p.m. Saturday, the small group of students had amassed a hefty collection of clothes, coats, shoes and bicycles to ship to Ghana.

The supply drive, the brainchild of juniors Ashley Piccirillo and Drew Ash, was a success.

“I’m so happy so many people from around town turned up to help out,” said junior Olivia Swanfeldt. “It means a lot to us.”

“It means a lot to the people of Ghana,” junior Ricky Bentley chimed in.

Inspired by their homeroom teachers as well as the efforts of the organization Invisible Children, some 20 students participated in the drive to help out those who are less fortunate than they are.

The end result was, among other things, the receipt of seven used bicycles, which may sound modest. Modest, that is, until one stops to consider what those bikes mean to seven people in Ghana.

“We’ve heard stories of people having to walk 10 miles to work every day,” Ash said. “That’s 20 miles of walking a day. The bike will shorten their commute. … It’s pretty amazing to help people we’ll never see. It’s pretty momentous.”