Being involved in the education space as the College Sage, I enjoy meeting individuals trying to make a difference in the SC education sphere. I myself, along with two other colleagues Sue Woods and Cindy Smithy, dedicate hours every week trying to help children in the lowest income families within the Charleston community make their way to college. And while we help them keep on track through high school and apply as strong as they can, our celebration of the acceptances is quickly met with a rush of financial anxiety. Now they are in – but how in the world do we find enough money for them to attend? It was during such a brainstorming session - when Sue, Cindy, and I were pondering how to find money for dorm room and school supplies – that I remembered hearing about a charity organization that donates dorm room supply packages. With a few calls and a little digging, I found Mary Buckley, founder of The Freshman Fifteen.
College Sage: Mary, how did you come up with the idea of The Freshman Fifteen?
Mary Buckley: The idea of creating a non-profit to supply underprivileged college bound freshmen with essential dorm supplies came to me 12 years ago. It was the day I learned what a “full” scholarship does not include. I was told of a young woman who had achieved a “full ride” to an east coast college but she had no ride to get there and none of the essentials for dorm life. I partnered with my daughter, Meaghan, a New York City social worker, to create a non-profit to provide students with the items every freshman should have.
College Sage: Can you give us an idea of how many students you have helped so far?
Mary Buckley: To date we have served more than 1,000 young men and women in the New York City and Boston areas. Our students are referred to us by social service agencies. These agencies provide tutoring, mentoring, guidance, test preparation and more while fostering ream work, volunteerism, diversity, and college preparedness.
College Sage: The Freshman Fifteen is usually about college weight gain. What’s behind the name?
Mary Buckley: Meaghan and I brainstormed the items we thought every student would want in their dorm room. We came up with 15 categories of items - hence the Freshman Fifteen! We provide an online catalogue so that student recipients can choose from our order form. All items are sent to the student’s college address.
College Sage: How can the Charleston community help support The Freshman Fifteen cause going forward?
Mary Buckley: Meaghan and I have always made it part of our mission to work for the needed funds. Yes we heavily rely on tax-deductible contributions, but we also make and sell jewelry with 100% of the proceeds going directly to our students.
College Sage: You were so great to say “absolutely” when I asked you for help with dorm supply packages for College Sage pro bono clients at Kids on Point. Why is it important to you to expand your reach to Charleston?
Mary Buckley: Charleston, our second home, has been so good to us through the kindness of retail outlets that promote our handmade jewelry (Joint Venture Jewelry, Jeffrey Bannon Ltd. and the pro shop at Briar’s Creek) as well as friends and neighbors who have attended our annual jewelry show here in town or made donations. We want to include students from Charleston and we are thrilled to be partnering this year with Kids on Point and Charleston Collegiate School.
I love how Mary found her own way to make an impact on education – and now education in SC. Please join me in donating to The Freshman Fifteen or buying the jewelry that helps support the organization. You can find all the information at thefreshmanfifteen.org or whenever you see Mary in the neighborhood!
Susan Leadem is founder of college counseling firm, The College Sage. For more information see thecollegesage.com.
