KCHS’s Towns Hughes (right) is pictured with Trina Bruns and Joe Thompson
Knoxville Catholic High School junior Towns Hughes has taken KCHS’s service hour requirement and put his own mark on it.
Knowing that service hours were required at Knoxville Catholic, Towns wanted to put his service to good use and make a difference in children’s lives.
During summer 2016, Towns started the Backpacks and Basics Program, where he collected school supplies and backpacks from friends and family to donate to Pond Gap Elementary School, a University Assisted Community School.
When the investment firm Raymond James heard what Towns was doing, they too wanted to help out. Between Towns and Raymond James, they were able to donate more than 50 backpacks and $3,000 worth of school supplies.
In December, Towns held a biscuit sale at Knoxville Catholic and raised more than $200, which bought bicycle helmets for the Pond Gap unicycle team. Towns’ next project will help launch two literacy initiatives at Pond Gap. He will be collecting books, which will then be donated to the Build Your Home Library Program and the New Urban Education Reading Initiative.
If you are interested in sponsoring a set of books for the Urban Education Initiative, e-mail Karen Holst at kholst1@utk.edu.
