Tom Holland swapped slinging webs for swinging the tambourine in the classroom on Thursday, bringing star power—and a $25,000 grant from his family’s nonprofit—to the Campus School at Boston College.
“He really was coming just to connect with the kids,” said Jennifer Miller, marketing and outreach manager at the Campus School. “It was a very student-focused visit. He was so generous with his time, and he was so wonderful with the students, and interacting directly with each student.”
Holland toured the Campus School, which educates students from ages three to 22 with extensive support needs, during the unadvertised visit last week.
Holland dropped by all six classrooms, mingled with students, posed for photos, and even joined a music class, where he played the tambourine and sang along to Don McLean’s “American Pie,” Miller said.
“We got to experience music therapy in one of the classes, and he was singing along to ‘American Pie’ and a tambourine going—just totally engaged, having a great time,” Miller said.
The Brothers Trust, a nonprofit established by Holland’s parents in 2017, awarded the grant to the Campus School last month, according to Miller.
The organization provides funding to charities that effectively assist those in need but “struggle to be heard” and leverages the Spider-Man star’s celebrity status to fundraise and organize events, with Holland’s three younger brothers also involved in its operations.
Miller said the grant will be used to purchase new assistive technology and a new lift for students to use during physical therapy sessions.
“We’re going to put in a new ceiling lift in our physical therapy office … we’re also going to use it towards accessible technology, so communication devices, and they’re very expensive,” Miller said.
The mother of a former Campus School volunteer—who served as a trustee for the foundation and was a childhood friend of Holland’s parents—called the school and first encouraged staff to apply for a grant, according to Miller.
From the initial application to approval, the grant process was thorough and took around a year, Miller added.
“Lots of calls with Tom Holland’s parents and other people and other trustees to learn more about our school,” Miller said
Upon learning that Holland was in Boston while his girlfriend, Zendaya, was filming a movie, Miller said she could not pass up on the opportunity to invite him to visit the Campus School.
To her surprise, a representative from the foundation quickly contacted Holland and said he was enthusiastic about the idea.
“I said ‘Listen, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I saw Tom has been in town, and if he would like to come over and see the school, we’d love to have him,’” Miller said. “And I heard back almost instantly that they’d contacted Tom, and he was like, ‘I’d love to come by.’”
For someone so famous, Miller said Holland struck her as humble and unassuming.
“He’s a normal guy,” Miller said. “He was really just happy to spend time and chat.”
During the visit, Holland tried to keep a low profile, so staff were asked not to use their phones or take photos while he was at the school, Miller said. In addition, they decided not to post any photos on social media or make an official announcement about the visit until the next day.
“He’s a very down-to-earth guy and does a lot of philanthropic work very quietly,” Miller said. “He didn’t want any press around or any of that.”
Miller said Holland was generous with his time, making an effort to connect with every student—even those who communicate non-verbally—and pose for photos so their parents could share in the experience.
“By the end, he kept saying to me, ‘Shall we take a picture?’” Miller said. “He wanted pictures with the students so that their parents could see it, which is really sweet.”
Although the visit centered primarily around the students, Miller said she took a moment to show Holland how the grant funds would be used.
“I showed him where the equipment was going to go and talked about the technology that it will fund, and we had just a really wonderful conversation about that,” Miller said. “He’s just so happy to help make a difference at our school.”
Aidan Gravina contributed to reporting.
Update (11/24/2024, 3:15 p.m.): This article was updated to clarify statements made by Miller.
