Parker Abrams Leads Service Drive

Roeper 6th grade student, Parker Abrams has been busy lately with a good cause. She's been collecting macaroni and cheese. 389 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese to be precise which she donated to the Ruth Ellis Center in Highland Park. Her initial goal was 100 boxes! The drive not only got the school and community together, it informed people about the Center. Parker advertising in the neighborhood and spread the word about this great cause. In a previous year, Parker teamed up with Bombas and her neighborhood to provide hundreds of pairs of socks to the Ruth Ellis Center.

The Ruth Ellis Center was started in 1999 when a need was seen to help the young LGBTQ+ community. Ruth Ellis (1899-2000) was an African American woman who became widely known as the oldest surviving open lesbian, and LGBT rights activist at the age of 101.

The center is a social services agency that serves the needs of runaway, homeless and at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Their services include a drop-in center, Street Outreach Program, foster home, and Health and Wellness Center.

Parker received a letter of appreciation from the center's Executive Director, Mark Erwin, who wrote,

"With your gift of 389 boxes of mac and cheese, you affirmatively and positively keep Ruth's legacy alive. You proudly share that although you may not be at these intersections, you work to understand and listen to the young people we work with every day to ensure they are safe and supported no matter where they go."

Thank you, Parker, for living the Roeper philosophy.