At the tender age of 26, Kyosha Lowery
possesses more wisdom and humility than many people twice her age. Despite
devastating challenges, Kyosha has held her head high and listened to the small
voice in very back of her mind. In the midst of fighting for her own life,
Kyosha decided she would choose kindness by dedicating herself to a cause
greater than she could have imagined. She would give back to the community that
provided so much support to her. In this moment of clarity, she says God put it
on her heart to care for those who were struggling to care for themselves.
Kyosha attended Asheboro High School and was a fantastic athlete in Track and Field. She was successful on the track and in the classroom. She was friendly and outgoing. She could be the life of the party. She always sported a smile. Nevertheless, behind the smile, behind the academic and athletic successes, Kyosha was struggling to care for the people she loved most – her family.
You see even as a high school student, Kyosha was helping her mom foot the bills, pay for groceries, and take care of her brother and sister. “Times were tough. There were some weeks when my sister and I had to share things that most people don’t have to share,” said Kyosha. “But no matter how tough things seemed to be,” she said, “our family was always taken care of. Out of nowhere, we would experience miracles - the unexpected bills would be paid, or an extra few dollars would appear so we could eat.”
These “miracles” were actually gifts from people at Kyosha’s church. They were gifts from her coaches at Asheboro High School. They were gifts from Lisa Cheek, the school’s social worker. Kyosha has learned what the statement means, “it takes a village to raise children.” She has lived it. And now, she is making her mission to continue this legacy of giving, so that other students may be blessed by her experiences.
During the summer of 2019, Kyosha started collecting hygiene items – deodorant, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo, etc. from businesses across Asheboro and Randolph County. Initially she intended to make personal hygiene bags for 50 males and 50 females. But as the project began take off, more and more people began to donate, and Kyosha was able to increase her goal. By “packing day” (Aug. 22), Kyosha and several volunteers, were able to pack 205 bags. “I recruited my family and several volunteers from my church to help pack the bags. I was so thankful North Asheboro Middle School allowed us to use their cafeteria to do the work – it would have been a tight squeeze trying to get all this done at my mom’s house,” said Kyosha.
Kyosha calls this the Give Back project, but her efforts are not stopping after these bags are distributed. She is in school studying business, so that she can one day oversee her own non-profit organization called Leach’s Helping Hands. Leach is a family name – her maternal grandfather – who she says would have been very proud of her for giving back in this way. Kyosha’s mother was fond of her grandfather and talks about him which is where the name originates.
The Give Back project is the brainchild of Kyosha to help students specifically at Asheboro High School. In time however, she hopes to provide support to students throughout North Carolina and beyond with Leach’s Helping Hands.
“It’s been an eye-opening experience to work on this project. I’m so pleased with all we have accomplished and I’m even more pleased that our work will ultimately help someone else. At the end of the day, taking care of each other is what it’s all about.”