October 22, 2025 // Diocese

Bishop Dwenger Student Helps Local Homeless

Todays Catholic

Bishop Dwenger High School junior Natalia Kleinrichert has made it her mission since she was 3 years old to help those in need.

“I just feel like everyone deserves a second chance, and no matter what part of life you’re going through, you deserve to always have help – something to give you a little bit of hope at least,” Kleinrichert said.

Kleinrichert runs an organization called Reach Everybody Always with a Caring Heart (R.E.A.C.H.) that she began when she was 10 years old. In partnership with her mom, Kleinrichert hosts different events to raise money and bring in donations for people in need in the Fort Wayne area.

On August 23, Kleinrichert hosted a garage sale selling donated items as well as collectible bracelets. Items were donated by community members, including many members of Bishop Dwenger. She raised a little more than $1,500. At the end of the sale, all proceeds, as well as any remaining items, were donated to M.I.S.F.I.T.S. Ministry.

“It’s become way bigger than I thought it was going to be. I thought we were going to do some small things to help people, and now it is just all over the place,” Kleinrichert said.

The proceeds from the garage sale helped the leaders of M.I.S.F.I.T.S. Ministry reach their $5,000 goal to be able to put a down payment on a box truck that will assist them in transporting food for their soup kitchen. M.I.S.F.I.T.S. Ministry relies on food and monetary donations to supply their food kitchen, making Kleinrichert’s donation all the more impactful for the nonprofit.

Kleinrichert has always wanted to help people. Beginning at 3 years old, she often collected donations for Toys for Tots, a program that distributes toys to children whose parents are not able to buy them a toy at Christmastime. At 10 years old, Kleinrichert founded R.E.A.C.H. with her mother. Some of her first collection strategies involved selling Girl Scout cookies and asking customers if they would buy a box to donate to the homeless. She then donated these boxes, along with other donations, to the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission.

Kleinrichert believes all people in need deserve to be treated with dignity and given a second chance in life.

“I saw the people on the streets and how quick people are to judge. Everyone deserves a second chance, help, love, care … and if you can help someone out, you should if you get the chance,” Kleinrichert said.

To try to preserve the dignity of the people she serves, Kleinrichert carries a journal with her to all her charity events. She interviews people throughout the day, learning their stories and writing them down in the journal.

“You just never know what people are going through. So, before you jump to conclusions, think about what could be going on in their life first,” Kleinrichert said.

Through learning the stories of the people she serves, Kleinrichert has learned many important life lessons. She believes virtues other people easily forget are prominently shown through those in need.

“Even though they’ve gone through such a struggle, they can still be joyful, or they can still be strong in their faith no matter what they’ve been going through. And it’s just cool to see how, even in worse times in life, you can still have faith and be happy,” Kleinrichert said.

Past charity events Kleinrichert has hosted include Christmas in July, an event to raise money and donations to be given to M.I.S.F.I.T.S. Ministry. Kleinrichert felt that while many people donated during the holiday season, those without homes were still in need during the hot summer months.

Many people within the Bishop Dwenger community find Kleinrichert’s charitable mission to be inspiring, especially those who spend a lot of time around her. At Bishop Dwenger, Kleinrichert is a part of the Summit Sound Show Choir, and she also takes part in the theater program.

“It is always so much fun to work with Natalia in theater, so I wanted to help with her garage sale also. It was really cool to see someone my age put together something that ended up being so impactful for others,” Bishop Dwenger senior Melanie Shively said.

Through Kleinrichert’s inspiration, several members of the theater and show choir programs, along with other students, were motivated to donate to and volunteer at the August 23 garage sale, including Rafael Cucueco, Melanie Shively, Elizabeth Smuts, and Felicity Smuts.

“Seeing how joyful everyone was working the garage sale inspired me to want to do more for the poor in Fort Wayne,” Bishop Dwenger senior Felicity Smuts said.

In the future, Kleinrichert is hoping to continue with her work with R.E.A.C.H. She already has her next charity event planned. She and other volunteers will do yard work for others and ask for donations in return. Although there is no planned date yet, she is hoping to do it as soon as possible. Further into the future, Kleinrichert wants to open her own nonprofit to continue helping the needy.

Madelyn Smith is a senior at Bishop Dwenger High School.