AFYA is an organization that ships excess hospital supplies that are sterile and unopened to places with fewer resources. Along with other high schools with smaller, AFYA club offshoots in their respective schools, Masters’ own AFYA Club hopes to raise money for the organization during the winter. Cumulatively, the clubs will pay for one or multiple shipping containers to go to different places internationally to help the bigger AFYA organization.  

Masters’ AFYA Club had its first Holiday Market on Wednesday, Dec. 12, to raise money for the wider AFYA Organization. Different vendors will be selling goods and merchandise students, faculty and staff can purchase. Among the vendors is Masters’ own Honorary Photo Society (HPS), which will be selling photography prints. Students in the Business Dynamics class will also sell stickers, and Dr. Dieck is planning on selling infinity scarves she’s making. Vendors pay for the booth and a percentage of their earnings will be donated to AFYA Organization.

Co-presidents Morgan Brettschneider and Charlotte Benson said, “We really hope more people can get involved with AFYA. It’s all about sustainability and using items that would otherwise be wasted.”

In the future, Masters AFYA Club is considering an AFYA co-curricular as a selection for community service. The club presidents are hoping for greater interest and awareness among the student body about what the organization does. Aside from participating in the holiday market, students can volunteer at the AFYA warehouse by packaging and sorting supplies and helping to raise money to fund this packaging and shipping. Additionally, AFYA would like students who plan to travel to take packages or shipments to a warehouse nearby where they’re traveling so the supplies can arrive more easily and at a lower cost.

Founder Danielle Butin said, “Healthcare is a human right. Because of regulations in the United States, millions of pounds of medical supplies are discarded every year. This could impact other sites worldwide.” Since Butin first founded AFYA ten years ago, she and her team have expanded the organization. They now operate from a 17,000 square foot warehouse with 14 full-time staff. They continue to work with students from Masters and other schools to continue growing their organization and hope to continue growing.

Butin will speak at Masters on Jan. 29. To hear more about AFYA and Butin, you can watch Butin’s Ted Talk given in Dec. here.