During the pandemic numerous JSerra students have found creative ways to give to those particularly affected by the coronavirus — from knitting beanies and writing letters to delivering groceries for those at-risk to repurposing sports uniforms into washable masks. Now junior Ryan Keene has raised enough money to purchase 22,000 disposable masks for shelters whose residents are in dire need of personal protective equipment.

Over Christmas break Keene decided to start a personal project to raise enough money to purchase a goal of 10,000 disposable masks for organizations in his community. He created a Venmo account dedicated to receiving donations and had his family, friends, and teachers spread the word.

To stretch each donation, he worked with his father to reach out to mask manufacturers who were willing to offer a significant discount for a bulk purchase. Once a manufacturer was selected, Keene began contacting multiple homeless and youth centers in Orange County.

Last week Keene successfully distributed 22,000 disposable masks to three centers: Isaiah House in Santa Ana, Huntington Beach Youth Shelter, and Laguna Beach Youth Shelter. Each center received between 7,000-8,000 masks.

"I doubled my goal of 10,000 masks but I couldn't have done it without the National Honor Society and [NHS Moderator] Mrs. [Carol] deBoisblanc," said Keene. "They helped me fundraise and Mrs. deBoisblanc helped me find shelters."

In his spare time when he isn't fundraising and delivering PPE, Keene is rehearsing with the JSerra Orchestra and JAM-ON (he plays alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone) and playing travel ball. He is also a member of NHS and the Eco Club. A student in the Engineering Magnet Program, he plans to major in engineering (hopefully at USC) and one day work in 3D modeling.