INTERVIEW
‘How can I help?’: help?’: How UH student Kelechi Iroegbu, public health junior, asked what he could do for the Houston community, and turned his words into action WRITING BY JORDAN HART | PHOTOS COURTESY OF KELECHI IROEGBU
Kelechi Iroegbu
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s Kelechi Iroegbu, 20, drove down the streets of the Third Ward, he was met with a familiar scene to the Houston area: people experiencing homelessness asking for money.
Iroegbu knew he didn’t have the cash to help them, but it made him wonder what else he could do to help the many people he saw in need. “I thought, ‘How can I help other than money?’’ Iroegbu said. “I’m not a millionaire, so I’m not able to provide monetary support.” This question has resulted in a chain of service events organized and led by Iroegbu that were centered around people coming together to contribute to the community in ways other than financial donations.
How it all started As an SGA senator and RA at Bayou Oaks, Iroegbu’s network for potential donors was diverse. In February 2020, with the help of his residents and the residents of his fellow RA’s, he was able to gather 2,500 items of clothing from a simple tweet and a few GroupMe messages. 6
COOGLIFE • January 2021
“I was really happy to see it,” Iroegbu said. “Star of Hope Houston homeless shelter was happy to see it too.” The massive success of his first charity event motivated Iroegbu to continue his quest to give back to those in need. His next event, Help Feed Houston, encouraged students to use their meal exchange as a donation. They were able to provide over 100 meals and raise over $2,000 to buy personal protective equipment. “It was crazy, I never know if these events are going to do so well,” Iroegbu said. Iroegbu used the momentous support from these events to extend his outreach. He decided to turn his attention to children who needed help. With this in mind, Kits for Kids was created. Kits for Kids was a book and supply drive for Blackshear Elementary School of Houston Independent School District; the district consists of majority low-income families. Iroegbu was able to garner a large amount of supplies and over $2,000 in monetary donations. “I spoke to Principal Lewis, and she was ecstatic,” Iroegbu said. “There’s just so much we can do.” Next on his agenda was Help Houston Shine, an event dedicated to cleaning up litter in the areas surrounding UH campus. It saw around 50 participants throughout the day. “I just put the flyer out there, and it was amazing to see that many people volunteer their time,” Iroegbu said.
