Palmer Trinity School sophomore Anthony DeRosa started a community service organization with his sister called The Walking Closet.
“We’re a non-profit. We collect and redistribute clothing,” he says. “We collect from students, parents and faculty. Recently we have been thinking of talking to a few stores and having boxes there.”
The club conducts one or two drives per semester. The drives last one to two weeks.
“We are doing a Halloween costume drive for children who have been affected by domestic abuse,” he says.
Last March through April they collected 2,000 pieces of clothing for Lotus House.
“We went there and gave it to them. I really value the one-on-one experience,” he says.
A year ago, they worked with the organization Unbound, which helps women affected by sex trafficking.
The next step will be creating a pop-up shop where they hang the clothing on racks so the recipients can choose the clothes they want.
“They get to shop, we’re not just giving them the clothing. That’s something I’m trying to implement this year.
He inherited the club from his sister who graduated from Carrolton.
“We always thought there was a lot of waste when it came to clothing,” he says. “I felt we could revitalize all of it and give to people who needed it. I can keep it going. I felt really passionate about it.”
In addition to collecting clothes for the various causes, DeRosa says they always try to raise awareness about the issues concerning the organizations they donate to.
“We can educate people on the issue, like Unbound,” he says. “It adds an emotional aspect that makes us come together as a community and do something good together.”
Last year, DeRosa went on a mission trip to Cuba with the organization Cuban Evolution.
“I got to see where I came from in addition to helping people,” he says.
They brought toys, technology, sports equipment, candy, school supplies, backpacks, shoes and medicine to the community.
“We came with soccer balls,” he says. “It was beautiful to give them each a new pair of shoes. And for the kids who didn’t play soccer, we gave a backpack. Each kid got a big item. Throughout the day we gave them candy.”
They were able to replace sports equipment that was in bad condition.
“It was lifechanging. I got to see how great things are to them that we don’t think much of,” he says.
The group went to Santiago and then Holguin.
He taught a few kids how to play chess, backgammon and few other board games.
In order to go on the trip, the participants raised $6,000 that went toward buying the equipment, shoes and medicine.
This past summer, DeRosa volunteered at a neighborhood church teaching at the Vacation Bible School.
This year, he’ll be spending a couple Saturdays a month helping students from low performing schools with Breakthrough Miami.
He also signed up for the Second Chance Club.
DeRosa is a member of the Student Diversity Council.
“We educate the school about different cultures and what role diversity plays in our lives,” he says.
He’s expecting to be a member of a new tutoring initiative that sends students to Howard Drive Elementary on Mondays and Wednesdays.
DeRosa plays tuba in the school symphony and he’s involved in theater.
“I work with the technical teacher and I’m a stage manager,” he says. “I direct and cue all lights, or microphone.”
He’s also in the Tri-M Music Honor Society and he’s a Student Ambassador as well as a class representative for student government.
Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld
