SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — What started as a first-grader's simple act of kindness has grown into a nonprofit organization with more than 50,000 school supplies donated to hospitalized children across three countries.
Felipe Baccin, now a senior at Torrey Pines High School, wheeled a wagon overflowing with school supplies through the front doors of Ronald McDonald House San Diego on Wednesday, continuing a mission he began 11 years ago in Brazil.
"I feel like seeing the kids that look just like me, like, lose an aspect of their life so young, it was kind of sad. I felt like I had to do something about it," Baccin said.
Baccin's connection to hospitals runs deep. His mother, a neurologist, provides care to critically ill children.
"50% of the people in my family are doctors. Everyone wants to help the world a little bit, and I feel like they instilled in me that I have to — whatever I do in life, I have to help the world," Baccin said.
That family influence inspired 6-year-old Felipe to start collecting school supplies and dropping them off at Ronald McDonald Houses and hospitals in his home city of Campinas, Brazil. His goal was simple: give children in critical care a sense of normalcy when it can be hard to find.
When Baccin moved from Brazil to San Diego before his freshman year of high school, he brought the project with him. In 2024, he formalized his efforts by turning the initiative into an official nonprofit called "Keep Learning."
Since he started at age 6, Baccin has donated more than 50,000 supplies to kids in Brazil, the United States, and Israel.
"The thing I can do to these kids is maybe give an opportunity to work towards something, give them hope that the future is going to be better, even though, right now, might not be perfect," Baccin said.
Mindy Collins, Chief Philanthropy and External Affairs Officer at Ronald McDonald House San Diego, said the impact goes beyond the supplies themselves.
"It just shows so much good. I love when students help students. I think there's just a, you know, a lot of connection there. When kids know that another kid is helping them, I think it's even more meaningful," Collins said.
While Baccin is still deciding where he'll attend college, he's certain about one thing: "Keep Learning" will keep growing.
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