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Stephen HolderESPN
WESTFIELD, Ind. WESTFIELD, Ind. — South View Elementary students in Muncie are among the most in need in their school district. South View is a Title I School, which means at least 40 percent of students come from low-income households.
South View kindergarten’s Erin Eads has now a few more resources. Indianapolis Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
Ngakoue, who was still in training camp, sent out a tweet asking teachers to send him links to Amazon wish lists for school supplies. He noted that “surprises” are his thing.
Eads was surprised to find out that an Amazon driver arrived at her house on Sunday night with boxes of snacks, books, and other supplies for her students.
Eads stated that Yannick was the one who gave me the packages. “My husband opened them and went to get them. I was so touched,” Eads added. It was incredible for someone to use their platform to do so much good even though they don’t know me, my children, or our circumstances. It meant so much.”
Eads is not the only teacher who will experience this. Ngakoue, who stated that he had fulfilled 31 wishes lists as of Monday, said that he plans to continue the count until it reaches 91 — the same number as his jersey number. His tweet received 850 responses at the time.
Hey @Colts Nation – Where are my LOCAL teachers? With school around the corner and the challenges you face in getting the correct items in your classroom, I want help. Please drop your Amazon Wishlists ?? so I can take a look – surprises are my thing ?
— Yannick Ngakoue (@YannickNgakoue) August 5, 2022
His motivation is simple.
“Kids who come from the same backgrounds as mine don’t have it this way,” he stated. “When you’re at school for a lot of days, you’re happy because it’s your first meal every day.”
Eads stated that her students often run out of supplies due to their difficult families. The job can feel sometimes thankless when you consider teacher shortages, lack of resources, or general inequalities.
She said, “There are certainly hard days.” “But I believe the outcomes are worth it. To see children become friends, or to witness a child share something for the very first time. [understand] A concept we have been working on for years, these little moments are enough keep you going.
It is truly a blessing to be able to work with the children and our community. It’s an honor. Talking about it makes me happy. It’s a great privilege to be able to give back the community in the way that we do. It’s all about them. We should set them up for success. … These kids are just as worthy of a chance as everyone else.
Ngakoue acknowledges these sacrifices. He called teachers “superheroes” describing them as he believes he benefits from helping them as much from their assistance. This is the latest effort to reach out to Central Indiana, which he describes as “like home” after having changed four teams in the last two years.
Ngakoue who was traded from Indianapolis to the “It Feels Better Than Getting a Sack on Sunday” said. Las Vegas Raiders In March. “But this isn’t it. No, sir. Giving back is more important than football. This game will end one day. So I’m glad I can make a difference.