Mira Loma HS Senior Sends Textbooks to Liberia

Carmichael Patch Whiz Kid:

Name: Casey Robbins, senior

School: Mira Loma High School

Accomplishment: Ships used textbooks to Liberia, a country in western Africa, through her Text Books for Liberia Organization.

Key to Awesomeness: Casey Robbins, 17, was in the 8th grade at Carmichael's when she listened to a Capital Public Radio interview with Liberia's then-Deputy Minister of Information Gabriel Williams.

"I was inspired by him when he said they needed help with health care and education," Robbins said. "I found his email address and asked how I could help and he told me they could use books so that's how I started."

In the first year, Robbins sent about 500 books. On Monday, with donations from the and other organizations, she sent about 4,000.

She was able to raise enough money to ship the books from Sacramento to Louisiana where they will continue on to Liberia but still seeks donations to pay for the container the books were shipped in.

Liberia officials were so thankful to Robbins that a school was named in her honor and she visited it in February.

"I'm having more of an impact there than I expected," Robbins said. "In a country of about 4 million people, books can go a long way."

She said the supply of books from the district is down because of budget cuts. Still, Bella Vista High School student Graham Richardson will take over the program after Robbins graduates this spring.

She also is on Mira Loma's dance team and the Sacramento County Youth Commission, representing District 3, which includes Carmichael. Robbins will attend Stanford University in the fall where she will major in civil engineering.