The board of the Atlanta-based Pencil Orphanage meets at the Orphanage headquarters to collect, count and compact all of the newly acquired pencils. The board forms an assembly line to package and process the pencils. The operation is led by Gibby Heiser, a fifth-grader at Morningside Elementary School.

During March of her fourth-grade year, Heiser founded the nonprofit organization when she noticed the huge number of pencils thrown away at Morningside. She began to salvage the spare pencils and store them in her locker. At first, she gave the pencils to her friends to need them,, but then Heiser realized she could do more with them. Thus, the Pencil Orphanage began.

The Pencil Orphanage collects pencils and redistributes them to children in developing countries. The Pencil Orphanage has donated pencils to schools in Kenya, South Africa, India and Malawi.

In addition to the pencils she collected on her own, Heiser put out collection boxes around the school.

“I knew I needed help because I couldn’t pack up all the pencils myself so I asked my friends for help,” Heiser said. “We just pack up pencils.”

Over the next year, Heiser’s Pencil Orphanage has become an institution, not only within Morningside, but throughout the city. Fernbank and Holy Spirit Prep established Pencil Orphanage branches. Heiser plans to spread the Orphanage to Lovett, Oak Grove and her cousin’s school, Webb School of Knoxville, Tenn..

The board consists of 14 members from public and private elementary and middle schools around the Atlanta area. Most members on the board first needed to convince their schools to adopt the Pencil Orphanage initiative through the use of PowerPoint presentations and posters.

Morningside’s Principal Rebecca Pruitt immediately endorsed the project.

“Our principal was really awesome because right when we presented it, she said we could do it,” Heiser said.

The administration and faculty’s flexibility does not stop with the principal. Teachers received mini Pencil Orphanages to collect stray pencils in order to send them to Heiser . The main office allows Heiser to make afternoon announcements to promote the initiative.

“I’ll just report updates if we did another school or if [teachers] want a mini orphanage in their classroom,” Heiser said.

Heiser also reached out to the custodial staff. The custodians now collect stray pencils during the school day and as they clean up during and after school and drop them in the Pencil Orphanages.

“The custodians are fully on board,” Heiser’s mother Brooks said. “You can tell because one of them uses a Ziploc to collect them as they sweep up.”

The growing support of the Morningside faculty has allowed the Pencil Orphanage to grow in members, schools and pencils.

The Pencil Orphanage collected more than 2,000 pencils in the last year and the board is planning to complete around 100 packages by the end of the February meeting.

Heiser and the board managed to cooperate with community members in order to send the pencils on mission trips, which eliminated shipping cost, helping the board’s budget.

The Heisers hope that the Pencil Orphanage will eventually move to Gibby’s cousins’ schools in Marietta, California and Tennessee.

“I hope it moves to more school and more people ask for pencil packs,” Gibby Heiser said.

Brooks Heiser continues to be amazed  by the success and drive of the Pencil Orphanage.

“I am astounded,” she said. “I never would’ve guessed that this would happen. When she started bringing so much stuff home, I thought ‘Where is this coming from? Is this real?’ I am outstanded that more and more pencils keep coming.”

She also explained that her daughter and the board have shown extreme organization and motivation.

“The initiative that she has show in taking control of the meetings and even in the flow and the layout,” Brooks said. “All of the girls work so well together.”

Intown Atlanta also featured Heiser in the annual 20 Under 20 segment as one of the youngest students in the article. 20 under 20 features students from around Georgia who have shown initiative in the community.

Collin Kelley, the author of 20 under 20, regarded Heiser’s project as “unbelievable” because of the maturity that the 10-year-old demonstrated.

“I’ve never heard of anyone think of pencils being that useful these days,” Kelley said. “The fact that she recognized that at 10 is amazing.”

Heiser doesn’t plan to leave behind the Orphanage when she leaves Morningside. The board employed little siblings in order to take over when they move on to middle school. She plans to try to convince her middle school to allow the project in order to have it follow her.