PAYING IT FORWARD ONE BACKPACK AT A TIME

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May 26 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Alum thankful for his NDP education giving back to the community in major effort to provide backpacks and school supplies to Pontiac-area youth.

Notre Dame Prep alum Pedro Escobedo NDP'22 has said many times that education is the key to success. But he not only says it, he lives it. And he not only lives it, he pays it forward. Big time.

That's because this very successful Pontiac business owner and resident is once again organizing "Backpack Giveback," an effort to collect and distribute backpacks full of school essentials to needy students in the Pontiac community.

"The Giveback is a project I started last year with the goal of donating 100 backpacks to students in need," he said. "But as the vision grew, so did the mission. I was inspired to aim higher, and by August 10, 2024, I was able to donate 360 fully supplied backpacks to students in Pontiac."

This year, Escobedo is going even bigger. He's already announced publicly that through his charity, Fraternos Charity Foundation, he will donate 1,000 backpacks to students in need by August 9, 2025. He said each backpack costs about $25 and comes fully supplied with basic school essentials like notebooks, folders, pencils and more. That's why he's also established a GoFundMe page dedicated to Backpack Giveback. 

"Sometimes as a student, obstacles cross our path that make learning and retaining info a bit more difficult," Escobedo added. "One of the main issues is not having school essentials. Having a notepad to take notes on, and pencils of your own helps students drastically. It has been my dream to help students enjoy school and be happy to show up."

That dream to help young local students enjoy their academic experience began at Notre Dame Prep. Literally.

"Notre Dame Prep is a dream school for anyone growing up in Pontiac," he said. "I still remember how surreal it felt to walk through those doors and say, 'I’m a student here.' NDP gave me more than just a great education — it gave me a place where I felt safe, supported and believed in."

He said that the experiences and people he met through NDP literally changed his life.

"They helped me grow not just as a student, but as a citizen and as a Christian. My time at NDP helped strengthen my faith and deepen my understanding of God. 

He added that Notre Dame Prep also challenged him spiritually and personally and that that foundation is a big reason why he does what he does today.

"Now that I’m in a position to give back, I feel a responsibility to do so. I live by a simple belief: If I can help, I will. God has given me the resources and the right people to turn that belief into action — and I don’t take that for granted."

Backpack Giveback is August 9 and will be held outside near the main entrance of Notre Dame Prep at 1300 Giddings Rd. 

Escobedo said they also will be offering families access to additional resources such as information on local health services, food support, activities for kids and more."

More info at https://bit.ly/3SUoRpM.

 

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.