Nonprofit looks to improve life for disadvantaged students

Some people take a lifetime to discover their true purpose. Summerlin-area resident Julianne Macaspac is only 26, but she's already found her life's passion: helping disadvantaged schoolchildren.

Macaspac works in the medical field, but her mother, Rodehlia, who lives overseas, is an educator and has always impressed on her daughter the situations she saw in schools.

"She always informs me of the struggles (she sees)," Macaspac said. "It breaks my heart; I really wanted to help."

She has a lot of friends who are teachers, and they, too, tell her about situations they witness in schools.

"These children are very marginalized," Macaspac said. "The family is spending more for therapy and everything, so we're helping the school provide the needs for the students and helping the family at the same time ... instead of them buying these supplies for the students, they can spend (that money) on things like health care."

One friend, Rachel Gallegos, a special education teacher at Thurman White Middle School, 1661 Galleria Drive in Henderson, remarked to Macaspac on a situation in her own classroom that stood out.

"She had a student; he was fidgeting a lot. He couldn't concentrate. She asked him what was wrong, and he said his feet were hurting," Macaspac said.

When Gallegos investigated further, she discovered the boy's shoes were three sizes too small. The family had no money to buy him shoes that fit. It further cemented the struggles Macaspac had witnessed firsthand: children paying for food at the grocery store by counting out their change.

"Being young," Macaspac said, "I was spending money on nonsense stuff — well, not 'nonsense' stuff, but stuff for me — going out of town and spending on myself. Then, hearing all these stories ... although we're in America, there's help they can get, but they don't realize they have access to that."

Macaspac was determined to help and set up a nonprofit, Operation Education, so disadvantaged children could advance in school toward a better life. She determined there was a need for school supplies and got the organization its nonprofit status last May. The following month, she elicited help from a handful of friends and family and held a fundraiser. It brought in $750, but just as important, she said, was it brought Operation Education exposure as a viable foundation.

She's put more than $3,500 of her own money into the effort. Thurman was the first school to benefit from it.

"I thought it was fantastic that the community wanted to come support the kids," said Thurman principal Andrea Katona, adding that other people have stepped forward with supplies as well. "We had an individual come in the other day with a handful of binders and (packages) of paper. Kids are always running out of paper or losing their pencils, so simple things like that are great so teachers don't have to go out and purchase them."

Already, 100 of the 169 students identified at the school with learning disabilities have benefited.

"Most of their students are emotionally disabled or with a learning disability, not so much physically disabled," Macaspac said. "It's hard for them to catch on, unlike regular students. If this catches on like I hope it will, we'll be looking for another school to help."

It takes $25 to fill a bag with school supplies, including notebooks, pencils and erasers, and one bag benefits one child. Donations can be made online.

Visit theoperationeducation.org. For more information, email operationforeducation@gmail.com or call 702-917-9339.

— To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.