This school year, Carina Guo and Katie Yuan, both sophomores at Richard Montgomery High School, became co-presidents of a club named “Paper Bridges” dedicated to bringing love and support to orphans around the world. The club involves sending letters and works of origami to orphanages all over the globe, and it also reaches out and cooperates with local business to expand the movement and organize fundraisers on and off Richard Montgomery’s campus.
Paper Bridges made its debut in 2018 and has over one hundred members on its email list. To fund the club’s projects, Yuan and Guo have already held one fundraiser at the Derwood Giant, and they raised over $140 in only a few hours. They plan on holding several more fundraisers in order to reach and support more orphans.
“It’s basically about spreading love and letting orphans know that we are here and that we love and support them,” Guo said. “Everyone can say they love and support orphans, but nothing will be accomplished unless we take action. This is what Paper Bridges is all about.” She hopes that Paper Bridges will inspire actions in others to be proactive and make the world better.
“Few things are more powerful than when passionate people take action to change the world. Everyone starts small, but the truly passionate make a big difference.”
The co-presidents hope to expand this club and make a part of Richard Montgomery High School and Montgomery County long after they graduate. To do so, they chose to use social media. Yuan and Guo plan to make a Paper Bridges account for every major social media platform. They also plan on advertising the club on Richard Montgomery’s morning announcements channel, RMBC.
Aside from speaking to Guo, I also had the chance to meet some of the club’s members. Many of the members are also passionate about helping orphans.
“For those of us lucky enough to have both parents with us, it’s difficult to understand the issues faced by orphans. We need to take a step back and look at the world from outside of our own paradigm,” says Danesh Sivakumar, a new member. “Support is a form of empowerment, and empowering these orphans is one of the best things we can do for them.”
Paper Bridges meets weekly and continues to attract more and more members.
“The more people care, the more people will put their hearts in to help. As we grow, we will hopefully change more and more lives,” Carina says. To find out more about Paper Bridges, visit their Instagram page: @paperbridges.rmhs.
Article by Linsen Liu of Richard Montgomery High School
Graphic by Jillian Wimbush of Richard Montgomery High School