Simple Acts, Big Impact

My guest today realized that typical clothing donation drives serve the convenience of the donor instead of the recipient, and decided to do something about that. High school junior JoJo from Los Angeles, along with her sister Brooke, created SheStyles, an organization that elevates the clothing donation process to boost the self-confidence of the young women who need it the most.

Learn more @SheStylesofficial

Fifteen-year old Legacy from St. Louis has been volunteering with her family since she was born. She started Little Legacies, a kids-for-kids community service organization with a simple three-fold mission - kids service and fun. Legacy has figured out what I tell parents and nonprofit founders all the time - that if you make volunteering fun and encourage young people to engage in service with their peers, they will want to continue to do this work.

Follow and learn more at @littlelegaciescommunityservice and follow Legacy at @thelegacyjackson

As we honor Black History Month in February, I'm honored to share this inspiring conversation with a young leader from Georgia named Jayshun, a student at Morehouse College. While he was still in highschool, Jayshun started the Black Youth Empowerment Network, an organization that is dedicated to fostering a sense of community amongst Black youth while providing the opportunities, resources, and tools to bridge the opportunity gap and combat the systematic barriers that are placed against them.

To learn more, visit https://www.byenetwork.org/ or follow at @wearebyen

Creativity and artistic endeavors (like photography) can be a way of processing grief and isolation. My guest today, Charlotte from the Bay Area in California, knows this very well. She experienced the loss of her father only days before the pandemic lockdown started in the spring of 2020 and turned to photography as a way to get outside and channel her emotions into something positive. Her new hobby then turned into a generous service organization - the Community Photobooth - which allows volunteers to offer their photographic skills while raising money for charity.

Learn more at www.communityphotobooth.com and follow at @communityphotobooth

My guest today, Ishani from New Jersey, has always loved math and is fascinated by AI. When she noticed that she was the only girl in a national computer science competition, she created a program called Girls Rule AI which empowers girls from around the world with the foundatonal knowledge and programming skills they need to build solutions using AI. Girls Rule AI offers free courses to small groups of girls in a friendly and supportive environment.

To learn more visit www.girlsruleai.org or follow at @girlsruleai

Sanja J. started Global Visioneers to inspire and empower youth to become global citizens and create a more interconnected future. Global Visioneers is a student-led nonprofit organization empowering global understanding and connectivity through language and cultural exchange initiatives.

Learn more at www.globalvisioneers.com or follow at @globalvisioneers

Mila H. is a high school junior from Hoboken New Jersey who has had a passion for rock climbing since she was 7 years old. She turned that passion into a wonderful program called Climbing for Community which partners with the boys and girls club to make the lif-changing benefits of rock climbing accessible and inclusive to underserved young people in her community.

Learn more and follow at @ClimbingforCommunity

The gym where Climbing for Community holds classes is https://gravityvault.com/locations/hoboken-nj

Meazi Light-Orr was born in a very remote village in Ethiopia called Kololo and adopted by an American family when she was a young child. After her mother established an elementary school in Kololo, Meazi was inspired to start Kids for Kololo and led an incredible fundraising campaign to improve education access by adding a middle school.

Learn more and follow at @kids_for_kololo

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! I'm delighted to re-share this episode which originally aired in December, 2022. It is a perfect way to remember the true spirit of the Christmas holiday. Ava S. was only 6 years old when a classmate who was fighting leukemia inspired her to launch a project called Ava Claus, providing toys for children in the hospital. The effort turned into Ava Claus and Friends and a partnership with the Broward Children's Center.

Follow Ava's work at @avaclaus and learn more at www.avaclaus.com and www.bcckids.org.

A little LIGHT for your holiday season! Amelia from Arkansas started Lisowe's Lights when she was only eight years old, providing nightlights for children who are navigating the foster care system. Lisowe's Lights makes sure that children who need to leave their homes and to be placed in foster care will have a nightlight to help them feel safe in their new home.

Learn more at www.lisoweslights.com and follow at @lisoweslights