By Emily Miller

REXBURG—Every semester, students from all over the world converge on Rexburg. Some of those international students arrive with very few possessions, which means many are unprepared for the cold Rexburg winter. 

A Rexburg family recognized this need and decided to do their part to help by collecting and distributing winter clothing. The effort has grown large enough that last semester, Jan and Brett Bagley and their family were able to supply warm clothes to 59 students, giving away almost 500 items through their organization, Greatest Wish. 

It started years ago with an experience the Bagleys had with a Brigham Young University-Idaho student from Kenya who became a dear friend. 

“Sixteen years ago our family helped to sponsor a young man from Kenya,” Jan says. “He arrived before his apartment contract started. We had never met him. We had five sons and he was sort of just dropped on our porch.”

Jan says it was the middle of December and their new friend had “very few items. Maybe a light jacket. A windbreaker at best.”

The Bagleys were able to help the young man build his wardrobe so he would have adequate winter clothing. 

Then, about six years ago, the family sponsored Omar, another international student from Africa, and they found the same thing. The young man came with little in the way of winter clothing. 

“He arrived with nothing more than a sweatshirt,” Jan says. 

The Bagleys outfitted Omar with warm winter clothes and professional clothing for an internship, and assured him that someday he would be in the position to be the one helping others. 

“That is my greatest wish,” Omar said—a comment that inspired the name of the organization. 

The Bagleys now host an event at the beginning of each fall and winter semester to help international students acquire any needed winter clothing. The clothing is donated to the program and then distributed to the students. 

The distribution will take place next week, and donations are welcome. Those who would like to donate can take their donations to Stukent at 160 W 2nd S #201, at Hemming Village in Rexburg. Stukent has generously offered to accept donations any time.

Greatest Wish accepts new or gently used items and requests that used items be clean before they are donated. 

Jan’s special request is that the clothing be something fashionable enough that the students will be proud to wear it. She says the students are very gracious and grateful for whatever is given, but that “they want to look like an American college student.”

Magnus Otogwung is a BYU-Idaho student from Nigeria, studying public health, who benefitted from the Bagleys’ outreach. As a new student for Fall semester 2021, he was grateful for some help building up his winter wardrobe. 

“I didn’t come with winter clothes,” Otogwung says. “Being an international student, it can be expensive getting some of these winter clothes at the store.”

Otogwung says he has always wanted to attend BYU-Idaho, and he is grateful to Greatest Wish for making his experience in a new country better. 

“It’s made life easier,” he says. “Thanks to Greatest Wish. It’s been a blessing.”

Jan is grateful to all those in Rexburg and surrounding communities who have contributed to something bigger than her own family. 

“I believe that God’s hand is in the details of it,” she says. “Because God doesn’t want His children to be freezing here in Rexburg, Idaho.”

For distribution times and locations, email rexburggreatestwish@gmail.com for more information.

See rexburgcommons.com for more local news and events, and check out the community calendar here.