SPREADING SMILES THROUGH SERVICE

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Shaylen Mehta. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Shaylen Mehta wanted to make a difference. A 17-year-old high school student, Shaylen saw the importance of service work on annual family trips to the Indian village of Sadra, where his father has deep roots. While there, Shaylen and his family help the underserved community. But Shaylen realized he wanted to continue the same volunteer work back home in his own community. In 2023, he established the South Piedmont Junior Optimist Club, an organization that spreads optimism throughout the community through acts of service.

In addition to getting the group up and running, Shaylen wanted to come up with a service project that was different than something anyone else had done in the area. He decided on a sneaker project in partnership with Got Sneakers, where the community donates old shoes. The shoes are then bagged up by team members and shipped off to Got Sneakers, who sends back money which can then be put back into other service projects. As a result of the sneaker drive, over 300 pairs of shoes were saved from landfills, displacing over 6,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and saving over a half million gallons of water. The group participates in a variety of other endeavors, including a highway cleanup, Santa’s Breakfast, which hosts kids and families for crafts, food, activities and a visit with Santa, and collecting and delivering school supplies to local schools that need them.

When Shaylen graduates from high school, he hopes to begin studying for a career in medicine. He considers his dedication to service to be the perfect launch pad for his future career goals because of the passion they both require. Shaylen dedicates 12 hours per month to his work with the South Piedmont Junior Optimist Club, demonstrating how volunteer work has instilled the values of discipline into his life that’s already busy with a heavy high school course load. Through volunteerism, Shaylen has grown into a bright young man with a future that has endless potential, and that opportunity is available to anyone eager to grab hold of it.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I feel like volunteer work is a big part of my life. For the past three or four years, my family and I have been volunteering in southern India. I was born and raised here in America, but my dad has a lot of history in Sadra, and that’s kind of his hometown. So we go there once a year. We’ve been going there for the past three or four years, and we volunteer there. We stay for about a week, and we help underserved villages. The whole reason that I got into it started from a multicultural standpoint, and I realized, why not just make it bigger? Why not expand? That goes for India, and also for my community, with the various projects I’ve done through the South Piedmont Junior Optimist Club.

Tell us about your volunteer role with the South Piedmont Junior Optimist Club?

My roles have changed throughout the years. In 2023, I was a founding member and president of the club. As founding member, my role was to start the club, in a way. I had to look at a bunch of rules and regulations, and I had to get in contact with the Optimists International. From there, I started meetings. We posted online about who would be interested, and had the first meeting at my house. My role was to kickstart the club and be that leader. I was responsible for facilitating the meetings. I had an agenda that I read. We covered various points, and I also delegated different tasks and service projects to people. Now, as a secretary, I assist the current president in their role. I’m also part of different service projects, besides the ones that I started as president.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

There’s an organization above the South Piedmont Junior Optimist Club called the Weddington Optimist Club, and that’s actually part of the international chapter that’s been around for multiple years. I attended a meeting with my mom. It was my understanding that I could start a club that was similar to the Wellington Optimist Club, but it was a place that could allow juniors to serve in a way that the community would benefit. I felt like it was an all-around win for everyone who wanted to really serve the community that couldn’t because of the infrastructure.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

The most rewarding part of my work has been the Sneaker Project. No one really thinks that they can save just short of half a million gallons of water. But seeing those numbers is a reassurance to all my accomplishments and how far this club has actually come. We started with eight to 12 people in the living room of my house about two or three years ago. Now, we have the club with over 20 people. You see the progress, not only with the Sneaker Project or Adopt the Highway and how many people we help, but just to see the growth our community has had because of this club. Not only for the members in it, but for the community and the benefits that they reap because of us.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

Listen more and talk less. As a leader, everyone wants to talk. Even as a volunteer, everyone wants to talk and make their ideas heard, but I feel like it’s those who listen that really take in the most information and then can form true and clear ideas within their actions. Being a volunteer, obviously, is about fostering this idea of selflessness and putting the world or the community’s needs above your own. The whole goal of this club has been to serve the community and bring more optimism. I feel like that has been the biggest thing that I learned. As a leader, especially when you listen more than you talk, you absorb the world around you, and then that not only helps you get a better idea of your surroundings and your environment, but also better ideas within your concept.

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

I feel like people need to start and join organizations that they’re passionate about. It’s that passion that is one of the drivers of our entire lives. I was passionate about serving the community. I was passionate about going to India. I feel like it’s that passion that really drives true emotion, intent and impact. With that passion, I feel like you can achieve anything.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

My advice for people who want to start volunteering is to just go out there and do it. Don’t wait until you think the time is right or a different slot on a page opens up. Find something that makes you happy, that you’re interested in and passionate about. If you’re hesitant about starting, know that volunteering is all about service and impact, and you can’t serve the community and impact others if you’re hesitant about volunteering. But once you start, you’re open to a whole new world of opportunities, emotions and feelings.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

I want people to learn that anything is possible. I know it’s a common statement, but this club wasn’t really an easy start. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it and you’re passionate about it. Another key lesson is to find people who are willing to stick by you. If it wasn’t for those few people who believed in me and my mission as the founding member, then we wouldn’t have this amazing club that has saved all these gallons of water and carbon dioxide and shoes, and have, beyond that, seen how the project has impacted the community in such an amazing way.

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