A 15-year-old walked up to one of the booths at the fourth annual “I Know I Can” Back 2 School Drive on Saturday on East Tallmadge Avenue in Akron.He asked whether it was too late to get a book bag.Steve King, one of the organizers of the event, asked the youth how many he needed.But he sensed something was wrong.King, who grew up in Akron and now teaches in Columbus, is a member of the Young Black Professionals Coalition, which sponsored the drive. He said he could tell that something wasn’t right. He could see the sadness in the teenager’s eyes.King struck up a conversation. Another coalition member, Gione Smith, took the youth aside.The young man said he was helping to care for two younger sisters and a brother. His mother was in the hospital and his father had just gone back to prison.The youth told Smith he and his siblings were living with an aunt and had food, but didn’t have school supplies. His sisters and brother must wear uniforms at their middle school in Akron, but the youth said he will attend high school and didn’t have any school clothes.Smith didn’t just listen to the teenager’s story. He acted to fulfill the mission of the coalition, an Akron group of about 25 young black professionals, ages 21 to 30, trying to find ways to give back to the community.The group’s motto is to “Be Relevant.”Coalition members worked quickly. They set the youth up with a cell phone. Then Smith whisked him away in his car to get school clothes.Smith said his first stop would be St. Vincent-St. Mary School for the clothing drive sponsored by Romeo Travis, part of the former St. V-M “Fab 5,” and former University of Akron basketball player.King said the young man’s plight isn’t unusual.“Here’s a kid like so many who might get lost in the shuffle,” he said. “They are having problems at home, but when they come to school, they won’t talk about it.“A teacher may be upset with them for falling asleep in class and have no clue what that kid might be going through. He may have been up since 4 a.m. trying to figure out what to wear, his next meal or how he’s going to get to school.”Eric Fletcher, another coalition member, said his group has an easier time reaching out to black students needing help.“We are a young-based group. We hope we can connect with students a little easier than maybe older individuals,” Fletcher said. “We have more in common. Sometimes we sing to the same music, may wear the same clothes and come from the same family lifestyle.”“I Know I Can” Back 2 School Drive ran from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.About 350 book bags filled with notebooks, paper, pens, pencils and other school supplies, donated by Huntington Bank, were handed out.There were smiles from Ayanna Ray, 12, and England Knight, 10, both of Akron. Ayanna had a drawstring book bag. She will be attending Litchfield Middle School. England had a shoulder-strap book bag. She will attend Akron’s National Inventors Hall of Fame School.Damon Ollison II, 8, who will attend Voris elementary school, opened his bag right away to check out his school supplies.He was also sporting a new haircut for school.Deon’s Grooming Lounge, near the parking lot where the event was held, provided free haircuts. The barber, Deon Oden, gave about 50 haircuts within the first two hours of the event. People were lined up shortly after 9 a.m. for the school drive.There were also information booths ranging from alternative schools that teach life skills to how to get a GED diploma for those who did not graduate from high school.“It keeps getting bigger every year,” King said of the event. “We hope to have wall-to-wall resource booths next year.” Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.