NEISD student forms non-profit to spread hope

It was a packed house at Stone Oak Elementary.

Ronald Reagan High School student Samantha Sanchez showed more than fifty teachers how to make special blankets.

“I got the inspiration from a service project we did in fourth grade, blankets for kids with cancer. That’s how the idea started. The following year, I wanted to make blankets for kids who are at risk for homelessness,” the 17-year-old said.

Samantha is the founder of the non-profit ‘Sam’s Covers.’ The organization has provided over two-thousand warm blankets to local children in need.

“I want to emphasize that it’s not just the blanket material itself, but the rather it’s the symbol of love and comfort. That’s really my goal, to comfort these kids that might have gone through some trauma at home and neglect, and to also empower them and to make them feel like ‘I am not a victim in this,’” Sanchez said. 

She decided to return to the elementary school where the idea blossomed- to Stone Oak with Ms. Ryder’s blanket-making service project.

“To be quite honest, Samantha wasn’t in my room. She would come over and we would make them and I remember when I met her, you could just tell she had a heart for that kind of thing. She was super in-tune to that kind of thing and how to make people feel comfortable,” Gina Ryder said. 

Now, the NEISD kid is inspiring the very people who inspired her years ago. 

The teachers in the school said they are impressed with all Samantha has accomplished.

“It lit a spark within her and look at her! She just has her own non-profit and she is helping so many people,” Stone Oak Elementary School Counselor Bernadette Gugliotti said.

Discover the NEISD way, where our educators motivate students to find their passion and impact the community around them.

The organization always accepts donations to help them continue their cause especially as the winter approaches. You can find more information on how to help here:

You can also find them on social media here.