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NILES — Stuart Lundberg is making the most of his last summer before starting college.

The newly-minted Niles High School graduate and soon-to-be Cornell University student recently returned from delivering more than 600 books and numerous school supplies to Kasulu Primary School in Nangoma, Zambia.

Lundberg, the president and founder of the Lundberg Project For Community Service, said the project came to fruition after speaking with a family friend who is a Zambia native.

“We were brainstorming and we had the idea of sending books and school supplies (to Zambia),” Lundberg said. “We came up with it in January and reached out to local schools, and libraries about books.”

After raising the necessary funds for books, supplies and travel, Lunbderg decided to deliver the books in person. After a 19-hour flight, Lundberg traveled to Kasalu Primary School and delivered the supplies to students and teachers. According to Lundberg, the school serves 2,500 students in less than 15 classrooms. To make do, the students and teachers use the available rooms in shifts throughout the day.

“It was a life-changing experience,” he said. “I think we take a lot of things for granted. They have so many students at this school and don’t have enough books, pencils or supplies.”

The trip to Zambia was just the latest operation for Lundberg, whose first act after creating the Lundberg Project was raising 400 toothbrushes and 70 first aid kids to be delivered to a school in Puerto Rico following a deadly hurricane season in 2020. He also donated 100 tree saplings to Eastside Connections School and St. Mary’s Catholic School and later donated Christmas Break care packages to Eastside Connections School.

Lundberg hopes his visit to Zambia will not be his last.

“I don’t want this to be the only project completed for the school,” he said. “I went there wanting to understand their goals and needs as a school.”

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