THIS TEEN LEARNED ABOUT THE WORLD THROUGH SERVICE

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Kavinitha Venkatesh. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Kavinitha Venkatesh has grown tremendously through volunteer work.

Raised in an environment where helping others was encouraged, Kavinitha saw her father get involved with Charity Crossing, a volunteer-run organization that provides basic needs to individuals within the community, ranging from hygiene items to school supplies. At a young age, she saw the volunteers gather items and ship them off in trucks to be distributed to communities that didn’t have anything. By the time Kavinitha was 14, she knew she was ready to take part herself. She started by collecting and sorting donations from retailers, and eventually started fundraising by leading events throughout the neighborhood. By raising funds for seniors, children and unhoused individuals, Kavinitha felt her work as a volunteer opened her eyes to see the world from an entirely new perspective.

In the past three years, Kavinitha has volunteered more than 200 hours with Charity Crossing. Along with her dad, she participates in five to eight events a month where the duo distributes items to communities in need. A rising high school senior, she’s planning on heading off to college eventually. However, her dedication to Charity Crossing won’t end there. Kavinitha’s years of work with the organization have culminated in her greatest responsibility yet: running the organization’s newsletter. She’s even hopeful to start her own chapter wherever she lands in the future.

Kavinitha says that her volunteer work has given her an entirely new perspective on life. By dedicating her time to serving others, Kavinitha has discovered the opportunity to do more than she has ever imagined. Her journey through volunteerism is a path that’s available to anyone who dares to take hold of it.

What inspires you to volunteer?

When I go out for serves with my parents or a couple of my friends, I notice that there are a lot of different types of people in the world. When I go out, I see a whole new world, which I wouldn’t normally see on a daily basis. I get to meet people and hear their stories, and listen to what they have gone through. It’s so nice to know that us coming out there and giving them these items gives them light.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Charity Crossing.

We distribute boxes filled with useful everyday items. We sort them beforehand at our house, and then we go out to locations, like senior homes or other places. As I grew older, I got more roles because of my age. I did fundraisers where we would bake things, or we would buy cookies and go in front of stores and sell those things to make money to support certain initiatives. Recently, I’ve started working on the newsletter section, because as a senior in high school, it’s getting tougher for me to go out every weekend for service. So, another way I thought I could help out is by doing the newsletter for our New Jersey chief. Whatever events we have, I gather all the information and put it into our template, and then they will publish it.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

My dad had been part of this organization. When I started, I was a kid, but not even a teenager. I thought this sounded interesting because that meant I got to go places other than the ones I was used to. One day, we got a whole truckload of items shipped from Delaware to New Jersey. Looking at all those items, it changed my perspective on this world. How many things do people buy and then return, or throw away? These are really good items that can be used by anyone. I thought that was a good thing that we were doing, giving it to people. That was striking for me, and I realized I wanted to do this more.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

Next year, I will be going to college. I will stick to the newsletter, or anything that I can do with the digital marketing team, whether it’s helping reorganize or redesign the website or something along those lines. Whenever I come back for break, I can go out and volunteer, but I think my biggest plan once I get into college, or towards the end of my time there, is to start another chapter.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned not to take things for granted. I was a spoiled kid who would buy things that I knew I wouldn’t use for that long. But I started looking at things from a different perspective. I realized that there are so many people in the world who need these things that I just wanted to buy and not use. Many of the things I end up throwing out. So I think helping people changed my perspective and ensures I’m more responsible with the way I spend things.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

Initially, I knew that I cared about helping people, but I never had that push to go and do something about it. When I did, I got a different viewpoint on life. It was very helpful to know that there are so many people in the world whom I could help. I think it just gave me a new perspective. When you do something that you care about, it gives you the chance to see if that’s really what you want to do with your life.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Just look around. Charity Crossing is in our local county municipal office, so they know that there’s something like this. Almost every state has something for youth to volunteer for if they just ask. Whether it’s doing work in an animal shelter or gathering donations like us, having parents involved in an organization pushes them to go, and then they end up having fun.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

You have to try things. I would have never tried if my dad hadn’t pushed me. I always said I wanted to help people, but I never actually took the initiative to do it. If you don’t push yourself, you’re going to miss out on a lot of things in life. After getting into this, I realized I have a lot of different potential, and I want to go into a path where I can help people. Doing these things allows you to explore things that you wouldn’t necessarily explore in the first place, and helps you figure out new things about yourself.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Kavinitha? Find local volunteer opportunities.